


Master Substitute Shinigami

by Niji_Hitomi_Iscariot



Category: Bleach
Genre: Dom/sub, F/F, F/M, Harems, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-19 11:59:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/573032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niji_Hitomi_Iscariot/pseuds/Niji_Hitomi_Iscariot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What will Grimmjow find when he comes to claim a rematch with his prey ten years after the youngest Visored beat him? Probably not what he's expecting. Please pardon any OOC-ness, I'm taking some liberties with some aspects of their personalities.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kurosaki-sama?

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This series has heavy D/s themes and some OOC-ness.

It had been ten years since Grimmjow had set foot in the World of the Living. How he'd survived the war, he had no clue. There were some that were lost, but it's not like he'd really given two shits about any of the other Espada anyway. The power struggles over Hueco Mundo had gone on mostly ignored by the Sexta, because although he insisted on not being looked down on, he had no desire to constantly have to defend his place as King. So, he'd wandered the sands for a while, setting up a territory and leisurely hunting, but by and large his thoughts were consumed by the only foe he'd ever truly given his all to beat. Not that he had, but somehow the fury of being spared after being beaten had smoldered into a driving force as constant as his soul hunger, but no longer all-consuming as it had been in the beginning when he was recovering.

So he stepped through the Garganta to the town that had been the root of all of his troubles with Aizen. His bright blue eyes scanned the park below, his senses stretched as far as he could stretch them looking for his prey.

It was night time, most humans were sleeping, the Hollows had largely left the area alone, but for the stray Adjuchas that got too anxious for its own good. They were usually dispatched by—ah! There was something. Pfah! Just a random Shinigami, not the one he was looking for. He swept his gaze over the town again, his mind still mulling over what he was going to do when he saw the bring orange-haired menace from his dreams.

Then he caught it, the sweet/spicy/smooth "scent" of his prey. Following it quickly he appeared over an apartment building not far from where he'd first met the pain in his ass. Scanning the area again, this time visually, he didn't see the tell-tale orange spikes, or that big ass cleaver, but he knew the boy was in the area. He was just about to assume he'd simply found the boy's territory when he heard a gasp.

Peering in the window just below him he found his target, wrapped and tangled in a mess of arms and legs with someone with bright crimson hair. Oh, he's mating. Hmph. Grimmjow rolled his eyes. Humans did that entirely too often for his line of thinking. Sure it was fun, but what was the point of doing it over and over and over again once the mate was claimed?

Intrigued at this side of the Shinigami Grimmjow continued watching as his prey rutted against the actually red haired body beneath him. Then he was almost knocked back on his heels when a hand that didn't belong to either the orangette or the redhead reached out, yanking on the sunset spikes, pulling Ichigo's head back to face the ceiling. A head of dark ebony hair, longer than even most Hollows kept it, bent around the orangette's neck and latched on in a definitive mating mark.

Raising an eyebrow Grimmjow tilted his head to the side, his curiosity getting the better of him. The reiatsu around the room began to build, making the area shake and groan, as the three in the room grew closer to a combined orgasm. The weight of it began to make the feline creeper sweat, and he became acutely aware that he was being affected by the pounding waves of reiatsu assaulting his senses.

When the three in the room finally came, in an explosion of chocolate/cinnamon/sakura tinged reiatsu, Grimmjow found himself panting in orgasm as well. Just as all four participants began to come down from their highs, Grimmjow high-tailed it back through a Garganta more embarrassed than he had been in centuries.

It took a full week for him to overcome his issues. Every time he thought about the orange haired Shinigami, the images of that night with his two lovers replayed in Grimmjow's mind, making him pant and ache with a need he normally was able to control. When he stepped through the Garganta, once again hell bent on avenging his pride with the orangette, he was stopped in his tracks yet again by the chocolate sensation of his prey's reiatsu.

He groaned, understanding the sensation this time, but instead of cinnamon or sakura, the reiatsu mingling with his chocolate was tinted with orange/citrus. Unable to stop himself he peeked through the window again. This time the berry was on his back and an equally orange head was at his waist, apparently trying to eat his prey from the hips.

This sight shot a spear of fury down Grimmjow's spine, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. How dare this orange haired trash attempt to consume what was his own! Gripping the hilt of Pantera he barreled towards the window, set on destroying the one who sought to eat his prey! His Ichigo!

A wild moan stopped him short in his tracks again. "Oh! Nngh! Or-Ori-I-I-Ah! AH!" The target of his obsession cried out and his reiatsu spiked, sending other sorts of thrills down Grimmjow's spine.

The second orangette waited for a few seconds, then looked up at Ichigo, licking her lips. "How was that, Kurosaki-sama?"

"Wonderful, pet. Simply wonderful." His target purred, as he stroked a hand through the long strands of equally orange hair.

The two seemed to be completely ignoring Grimmjow's presence outside their window, and this was made more apparent when Ichigo, still quite aroused by the looks of things, stood up, leading the woman out of the room by some contraption around her neck. Just as the Sexta was about to turn and leave, Ichigo returned to his room, this time accompanied by another female. This one was short, with choppy raven-colored hair. She seemed familiar.

"Kurosaki-sama, how shall this girl please you tonight?" The woman dropped to her knees in front of his prey. Ah, that alto voice! He remembered, this was that one he'd stabbed oh so many years ago.

Ichigo bent down to the woman's ear and whispered something Grimmjow couldn't hear, and although he was painfully hard at this point, as the two began to get into he took his leave to inspect the rest of the building, sensing something of the cinnamon he'd felt the first time.

Finding another window, he peered in, more cautiously because this room was literally full of Shinigami. He sensed the cinnamon and was amazed to find out that it radiated from a rather well-build male covered in dark tribal markings. He was lounging on a couch with the sakura scent, his long crimson hair pooling around his shoulders and being stroked by the nimble fingers that had embedded themselves into the orange spikes only a week ago. Across the room was another couch where the well-endowed female orangette lounged with an equally well-endowed blonde and a tomboy with short spiked blue-black hair. A very slim male with midnight hair that partially obscured his glasses shouted something over his shoulder as he entered the lounging area and a mountain of a man, covered in scars, with long matte black hair and an eye patch grinned at the one in glasses. The next voice to speak seemed to come from a male that could be no more than a teenager! He was berating the Mountain and Four-eyes for making a ruckus. Blonde-Boobs whined something and the white-haired Midget rounded on her, making her look like she was pouting. Orange-Boobs held Blonde-Boobs close and made goo-goo eyes at Whitey. Tomboy nuzzled into the cuddle too, and Whitey backed down with a groan.

Wait! Wasn't Orange-Boobs that one chick? Grimmjow frowned as he thought for a moment. Yeah! She was that one that Emo-fucker kidnapped. Heh. Guess the kid succeeded in getting her out. That certainly explained why Emo-fucker wasn't around anymore.

While he was lost in thought he failed to notice a few more people entering the building. A bald man with his strangely muscular arm around a man that looked more like a woman what with his hair done up in feathers; a slightly taller brunette with vulgar face tattoos and wicked scars down his cheek; and a hunched over blonde that let his bangs hang in his face. Upon seeing the newcomers enter the lounge Grimmjow had the strange though cross his mind that maybe they were all there to do something with HIS prey!

He couldn't just stand by and watch all of these people put their hands all over his prey but he also knew he couldn't just burst into the room. He may be the strongest surviving Arrancar but even he knew he couldn't take on that much firepower by himself. With a disgruntled and highly frustrated sigh, Grimmjow left again, completely unaware that he had eyes watching him from the roof.

After the Garganta closed, Shinji grinned and dropped back down to the balcony to re-enter the party. It wasn't often Kurosaki-sama invited his entire Pride over for a party, and even if their Leader had sensed the presence of his long-time rival, the fact that the Espada had left without even a word to anyone meant that Shinji could relax and enjoy the rest of his night. Maybe he'd even be lucky and get a turn with Kurosaki-sama on his own.


	2. Talking Part 1

It took another six weeks before Ichigo felt Grimmjow's reiatsu over Karakura Town again. During the day this time, while he was out walking with a couple of his favorite 'pets'. Walking slightly ahead of trio accompanying him, Ichigo was able to hide the smirk that danced across his usual scowl. As he felt the Sexta tailing behind his group, and getting closer, Ichigo rounded a corner, stopping short to grab the tallest of his ragtags in for a toe-curling kiss, much to the disappointment of the other two followers.

Shuuhei rocked back on his heels when Ichigo released him, the stars still dancing in front of his eyes. He almost didn't remember to say, "Th-thank you, Kurosaki-dono." Before the orange-haired Master walked on.

Beside him, Rukia and Orihime downright pouted at the preferential treatment the tattooed male was given seemingly for nothing. That was the way of it though, and somewhere in Rukia's mind she remembered why. At the moment, however, it was quite vexing that Master Kurosaki could pay more attention to someone who hadn't done as much as she and Orihime had. She almost opened her mouth when Orihime put her hand on the shorter girl's arm, drawing her attention to the satisfied and almost sneaky glint Ichigo had in his eyes. So, she kept her peace and let Master continue walking them through town.

Once they were back at the apartment, Ichigo gestured for the trio to enter without him, and though there was a bit of confusion regarding the fact that no one walked ahead of Master Kurosaki, they left him standing on the street corner alone.

"I wondered when you were going to return, Grimmjow." He stated to the empty air, knowing the Sexta was around somewhere in the shadows. "Have you come to join my harem?" He almost laughed, ignoring the internal twisting that he couldn't quite deny.

From where he hid, Grimmjow heard every word Ichigo said, but there was no way in the bowels of Los Noches that he was going to reveal himself to this cocky, over-bearing, **powerful** version of the substitute Shinigami he'd once faced. And the kid had another thing coming if he thought that the King of Hueco Mundo, as he called himself, was going to join some group of sex starved Shinigami, especially as an underling! He growled low in his chest thinking about it.

"Suit yourself, Grimmjow, but eventually, you will come to me." The orangette was still speaking, but there was an edge in his voice that just didn't fit with the whole "Master of his domain" thing that had been coloring his reiatsu every moment Grimmjow had sensed him since his return weeks ago.

Sure enough, when Grimmjow peeked out from the corner of the building he was NOT hiding behind, Ichigo was leaning against the side of his apartment building with a whole new air about him. He sighed deeply, and dug into his pocket, withdrawing a cigarette. He clenched it between his teeth and flicked his thumb like a lighter, though he had none, sending the tiniest kido flame Grimmjow had ever seen across the end of the cancer stick. The other man was talking again, apparently to thin air.

"Goat Face said Mom liked it when he smoked. She thought it made his hand look cool or something." He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets, leaving the cigarette clenched between his teeth as he took a long drag. Exhaling through his nose, he continued, "I dunno if it really does, but it helps, yanno? I don't even know if you're still listening, but just like all the times ya weren't listening before, I'm just gonna keep talking. It gets this shit off my chest, and maybe if ya are there then ya can help me."

Grimmjow listened with a slight tilt to his head, and unconsciously took a step towards the younger man. He was still invisible by line of sight, as the edge of the building's roof was enough to cast a shadow in the fading sunlight. He didn't know why he was standing there, but somehow he couldn't pull himself away.

Ichigo took the cigarette out of his mouth and exhaled after another long drag, and he scuffed his shoe a bit on an ash that wasn't quite out when it landed on the doormat to the building. "I can't come right out and say what all this means, cuz I know you won't understand it. It's not a Hollow thing. I know that much from Shiro, but he said that sometimes, with some types of Hollows there are other bounds made. Things beyond Master and fraccion, and I guess that's what I'm trying to deal with here." The cancer stick was almost gone now, and it seemed every pull and drag brought Grimmjow closer to the edge of the shadow, towards the enigmatic Shinigami hybrid. With a final pull on the almost burned paper, Ichigo pushed himself off of the wall. "I died, Grimm. This here's a gigai. It won't age, and it'll never drain me. I don't belong here, Grimm, and we, Shiro and I, we can't stand being in the Soul Society any more than we have to."

That was the second time the orangette had mentioned someone named Shiro. His lover? No, he had those others. Grimmjow shook his head. And what was with that nickname? Who'd ever given the brat permission to shorten his name! He growled again, this time louder than before, and he knew Ichigo heard him, because the orange head whipped up and met his gaze straight on. A sharp intake of breath and a half formed word on his lips were all Ichigo got before a Garganta was ripped open and the Sexta was gone, taking his soul piercing cerulean stare with him.

He sighed, deeper this time, "How long this time, Grimm? A few weeks? Or will it be years again?" He ground out the butt of his cig and entered the building where he knew members of his harem were waiting.

Back in the ruins of Los Noches, Grimmjow roared his frustration and threw a nasty cero at one of the remaining pillars, making the crumbling stone shudder and rain dust down from the false sky. Very few Hollows came anywhere near the old castle these days, but it was technically neutral territory, where anyone could do anything and not be subject to the few laws Hueco Mundo did have. So, Grimmjow often used it as a sort of training ground, a place to work out frustration, and in this case, confusion, which often turned itself into frustration.

"You know," A low and velvety voice separated itself from the shadows behind the Sexta. "I haven't seen you this out of sorts since that Quincy thing years ago. In fact, the only time I've ever seen you this worked up was because of that Shinigami child, the one that wore the mask and fought like an Espada."

"What do you want, Halibel?" Grimmjow growled between his teeth, trying to force himself to not turn the cero he was charging on the intruder.

"You've been going to and from the Human World a lot lately, Grimmjow. Some of us are concerned you'll bring the Shinigami back." The blonde Tres Espada stepped fully into the fake sunlight with her arms crossed under her ample chest and a soft scowl on her face.

Grimmjow snorted. "We?" He asked, knowing full well she was going to bring up those that the Soul Society thought long dead.

"Yes, we. He may be a lazy, son-of-a-bitch, but he's the father of my cubs, and we'll be damned if your little personal vendetta with the Shinigami boy is going to ruin the first peace we've had since 'Aizen-sama' first started poking his nose into things around here." She spit out the name of the former overlord like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

She had a point, and loathe as he was to admit it in front of her Grimmjow agreed. It had been over 150 years since the nosey would-be god started messing around with the atmosphere of Hueco Mundo, altering the balance of power, destroying the few oasis that existed as havens for females, and just generally fucking everything up. In fact, Halibel's four cubs were the first Hollow cubs to have been born and survive in that 150 years; the first cubs to have been born period in over 75 years, when the Espada had been gathered but not yet evolved. They were precious, and even the most ruthless and mindless of Hollows avoided cubs, though that was more out of fear of the parents than true avoidance of the cubs. Because of all of this, Grimmjow knew that he was in trouble with the new mother.

"Aw, hell, Tier!" His frustration immediately drained from him as soon as he realized just what she was getting at. He ran a clawed hand through his shaggy baby-blue spikes and tried to look contrite.

It must have worked on some level because she uncrossed her arms and closed the distance between them. Placing a hand lightly on his bicep and as close to a smile as she ever gave to anyone not her cubs graced her expression. The birth of her cubs had shattered more of her mask, revealing the lower half of her face. "We understand, Grimm, but the question is, do you?"

That brought the confusion-turned-frustration back in full force, and he glared down at the slightly shorter Arrancar. "Of course I do! I won't bug the Human World again. I'm not about to put the ninos in danger! I may not be Em-Ulquiorra, but I'm not stupid, Tier."

She raised her hand to his non-masked cheek and her eyebrows knit together over something akin to worry in her grass-green eyes. "No, you won't put them in danger, but at what cost, koibitto?" She left him to his thoughts then, with a soft tap on his cheek and a slight displacement of air from her sonido.

He roared again. Stupid Tier, with her stupid ideas, and stupid thinking, and stupid Strawberry with his stupid harem and stupid talking, and on top of it what the fuck did he think he was doing with Vulgar Face? Attention like that? In public! The hell! He fired another cero at yet another innocent pillar, this time bringing the piece of ceiling down, shattering the white throne-like chair under it. The irony of where he was working out his frustrations hit him then and he threw his head back and laughed, harder than he had in years.

Maybe there was something to this Strawberry thing after all.


	3. Nnoitra?

Ichigo sighed contentedly, for once not surrounded by his multitude of followers. He was sitting on the railing of the balcony outside his apartment, just enjoying the sunshine and breeze, and a popsicle. He ran his tongue over the icy treat and sighed again.

"Stop that!" The frustrated voice standing on thin air off to the side snapped.

Ichigo looked up at his new visitor with a particular glint in his eye, and deliberately took the entire mass of frozen juice into his mouth with a hard suck. As he pulled it back out again, he kept up the suction, allowing a thin line of juice to escape his vacuum seal. An audible 'POP' was heard when the tip of the sweet exited his mouth. His tongue followed it and flicked over the rounded end in a deliberately slow and provocative motion.

All of this was observed through the short veil of orange that made up the substitute Shinigami's bangs, which made the entire scene stand out worse as the icy delight currently being devoured was bright, shocking blue, which only added to the observer's annoyance and frustration. He growled, a sound entirely not human.

As soon as the popsicle cleared his mouth, Ichigo licked the drop that had escaped off of his cheek and smiled a sort of self-satisfied and not entirely genuine smile. "Am I bothering you, Grimmjow?" He sucked on the popsicle again, having to bob his head over it as he'd wrapped his knee in both arms helping to keep his heel caught on the railing of the balcony.

Grimmjow growled again, "Ya damn well know what you're doin', Shinigami!"

"Oh?" Ichigo feigned innocence by tilting his head to look over his shoulder at the Espada. Yesterday Ichigo thought the Sexta was going to run off again, for a very long time, but for some reason, here he was. Taking in the his opponent's body language Ichigo knew exactly what he was doing to him. When all of this had started, it was just Ichigo using his ability to read opponents on the battlefield in different ways, but after a while, because the number of threatening Hollows had died down, it became a game to see how fast he could seduce the object of his attention. His latest conquest was fresh in his mind and he literally purred around the popsicle as he thought about how surprisingly easy it was to bend Byakuya to his will once he'd gotten the noble alone.

The scent of chocolate filled Grimmjow's nose as he watched Ichigo's eyes darken in lust. He tried to shake the feeling off, but every sensual suck on that frosty stick was enough to make his own 'issues' worse. The tension between them grew and grew, until finally Ichigo's treat was devoured and Grimmjow found himself watching as the younger man stood to get down from his perch.

He wanted to be scathing. He wanted to be sarcastic. Hell! He wanted to be at least irritating, but all he could manage was an almost pitiful, "Wha?"

"It's been fun, Grimmy, but I gotta get going. I've a pet to meet that just won't act right if I'm not on time. See you later." Ichigo entered his apartment, and Grimmjow heard and felt rather than saw the orangette pop out of his body and open a senkaimon.

Growling again Grimmjow didn't notice he'd been joined until the lazy voice broke his concentration. "So, this is your idea of protecting the cubs?"

"Starrk." The Sexta turned and glowered at the Primera where he was lazing against the wall of Ichigo's apartment building.

"It's none of my concern if you wanna risk your life hanging around the Living World, but really, don't go after him. If you care at all about surviving the next time you come 'home'," He even made a little air quote to emphasize the word, "don't try to go to the Soul Society. Cuz if you make it out alive, I'm sure Tia will be all too happy to get you out of their hair." Starrk opened one eye to look Grimmjow straight on, then he stretched and closed it again, soaking up the sun.

His usual cockiness came back to him in that moment and Grimmjow crossed his arms over his chest to sneer down at the other Espada, "And ya think she won't do the same to you, laying here napping when I'm sure she wanted ya to come straight 'home'." He put emphasis on the word too but didn't deign to make the ridiculous hand motion.

"Nope. Some of us know how to placate the fairer sex." Starrk yawned.

"Ya mean ya've got Lilynette working with her." Grimmjow snorted, but he plopped down on the balcony almost unconsciously. Starrk made a hand gesture of dismissal, and Grimmjow actually sighed. At times like this he actually missed Emo Fucker. The bastard was, if nothing else, a good sounding board. Or maybe Pinky would have been better. He had experiments running that always let Grimmjow smash things and work out his frustration better than just the rocks and crumbling walls of their former 'home'. After sitting for a few moments musing over things he really didn't want to admit out loud Grimmjow sighed.

"Apparently that sound is catching. Before you interrupted him, your target did that quite a lot." Starrk intoned without moving. "Though I am hardly the expert on Humans that Szayel was, I believe it to mean that he was thinking rather deeply about something. Are you doing the same?"

The next words Grimmjow spoke were out of his mouth before he even knew what he was saying, "I caught him mating some of those Shinigami bastards." Starrk opened an eye and watched his 'younger brother', who was gazing out across the city, the same way Ichigo had been, but with more tension in his back.

"This bothers you."

"Fuck yeah!" Grimmjow snorted again, clenching his clawed hand around the cement of the railing's wall. "He's my fucking prey! Mine! Nobody else is allowed to touch him!"

Starrk made a noncommittal noise.

"It's like, back then, he was always one step ahead of me, and it was a chase. I'd go after him and he'd get away. I try to kill him and he bounces right back up again. It's why I took that Princess Bitch to save him before I—" He broke off. He'd lost that fight, and after, had literally not been able to find the whatever-the-fuck-he-is either here or in Hueco Mundo. "Not for lack of trying, mind you." He added hastily, knowing Starrk could fill in the gap in his sentences. "It's just—he's always—ARGH!" He roared, shaking the glass in the windows and scaring the few animals hanging around the area. He even sent shivers down a few backs of the passersby below the two Espada.

"And now?"

As usual Starrk cut through to the heart of the matter with the same precision he used with his resureccion, and Grimmjow surmised that maybe the Lazy Bastard was almost as good as Emo Fucker. "I don't even know. He's changed. He's more confident now. He's also not running. It's like he knows I'm here every time and he does nothing about it. I can't help it. It pisses me off."

"Hmm."

Looking over at him, Grimmjow couldn't tell if his present company was still awake or not. He shook his head, and deliberately changed the subject. "So, are we still going to try and find the others?"

"Tia wants to, but we don't exactly know where to look, and we haven't been able to reverse whatever was done to Szayel. He's still frozen in place with that sword impaling his hand. Ulquiorra seems to be recovering better in the last few weeks though. He had almost fully regenerated his chest when last I looked in on him. He should be grateful you found his eye when you did. If not for that I think he would truly have been killed. Nnoitra is still missing. Yammy has been reduced to a drooling toddler not unlike Neliel, but seems to be incapable of even processing the most simple of commands. And, though I don't know if it is unfortunate, Aaroniero, Barragan, and Zommari were too far gone."

Grimmjow nodded. "I'll find Spider-Legs. Maybe it'll keep my mind off of the Strawberry."

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a pretty sight here!" A voice that sounded surprisingly like Gin cut through their chatter. The owner of the voice was standing upside down in mid-air, with a grin like Nnoitra's plastered on his face, crowned with bright blonde hair.

Both Espada tensed, made no move to get up as the visitor didn't seem to have a sword with him, but Starrk had both eyes open. "Hirako-san. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"

"I haven't seen your lot around since that nasty altercation back then. Whatcha up to?" The blonde Visored had his hands in his pockets nonchalantly, although that could have been to keep whatever he had in them from succumbing to gravity.

"At the moment, Hirako-san, relaxing and taking in some sun. Would you like to join us, mi amigo?" Starrk rarely used slang, but to Grimmjow's sensitive ear, he was testing the waters regarding the former enemy.

Apparently some line had been crossed, because Shinji righted himself and plopped down on the balcony next to Grimmjow but facing in the opposite direction, his back to the street below and the sun. "S'no surprise then. Coyote-san being canine and Jaegerjaques-san being feline. Y'don't mind if I join ya then." He didn't give them a chance to say no. "So, what were we talkin' 'bout before I sat down?"

"Ah, Hirako-san, Grimmjow and I were discussing the status of Hueco Mundo." Starrk clearly was not about to continue that conversation in present company, and his tone made that obvious.

"Mah! Coyote-san, ya wound me! I already know about your tryin' ta get the team back t'gether. Gilga-san has been pleasant company." Shinji leaned back on his hands, nonchalantly analyzing the sky. "O'course, that's mostly cuz he's takin' a fancy ta Hiyori, which is always good fer me. Fewer sandals at mah head."

Grimmjow couldn't stop the disbelief from making his jaw drop at the Visored. "Ya mean he's been here! The whole time?"

Shinji smiled at him again. "Yeah."

"Well, that solves some time in looking, Grimmjow." Starrk's position shifted just enough that he could lean his head back against the wall of the building again.

"I could take ya to him if'n ya want. Kurosaki-sama won't be back for a good long while. His pets on the other side'll probably keep him all day." Shinji mused, seeming to shift his weight from one hand to the other for a moment, all the while observing his companions with a shrewd eye behind his grin. Predictably, Grimmjow tensed and Starrk showed no visible outward sign. In contrast, their reiatsu, though tightly held in, was bright with curiosity. So Shinji stood on the air again and began casually walking away. "Follow if ya wanna. Vizards ain't the Soul Society. We know better than ta judge a book by its not so different cover."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** I am aware that the correct spelling is "Visored (vI-zerd)", when Shinji (and a few others') say it though, it comes out "Vizard (vI-zard)" as he uses an "R" sound instead of an "er" sound. It's my attempt at mimicking his (and others') accents.


	4. Half-Hollow?

The second Grimmjow entered the Visoreds' warehouse he was assaulted by a flying double crescent blade, and a growling voice, "Ah, Kitty-boy! Where ya been?"

Pantera was out before the voice even reached his ears, and he was laughing maniacally as the force of the blow drove him back towards the wall. "Spider-Legs! Ya coward!"

The impact of the blades exploded outward, shattering some of the random debris littering the stadium-like warehouse. If not for the barrier surrounding the place their dust cloud would have broken the ceiling. As it was the building groaned under the strain of containing such brutal energy.

"Yare yare!" Shinji rolled his eyes. "Yer gonna bring tha house down, Gilga-san."

"You big oaf! What d'you think you're doin'!" A sandal, several sizes larger than it was the last time Starrk saw it, flew out of the darkness and smacked Nnoitra on the side of the head.

He whipped around and pressed his forehead against the blonde woman's own, barely leaning over to do so, "Damnit woman! Don't bother me when I'm fightin'!"

"If ya wanna fight so bad go to the training ground under the building, jackass!" She smacked him with her sandal again.

"Don't tell me what to do!" He glared at her and tried to press his height advantage only to receive a stomp of bare foot on his toes, in spite of the combat boots he wore.

"I'll do what I wanna, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!" She was screaming in his face now.

Suddenly both sported feral grins and all at once the tension was gone. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and bit her ear, hard enough to pierce had his teeth been pointed like Grimmjow's. She laughed at the pain and elbowed him in the ribs, leaning against his shoulder. She'd never quite given up her pigtails and bright red jacket, but rolled up jeans replaced the tracksuit pants and her tank top showed off several inches of skin between its hem and the low rise of her belt line. She'd also pierced her navel at some point, the charm was a head of a mantis with the number 5 engraved on its forehead. He wore cargo jeans and a black wife beater under a white hoodie.

Needless to say, Grimmjow's brain was a little bit broken by this vision. He looked at Starrk, who looked bored as usual, and then at Shinji, who was apparently fascinated by the fact that the scuffle hadn't brought the ceiling down.

"What the fuck!" The Sexta scowled deeply. He stormed up to the 'happy couple' and shoved Nnoitra's shoulder. This earned him a smack upside the head with Hiyori's sandal, and he ducked back staring at the violent former midget, his eyebrow twitching.

She smirked and twirled her sandal in a threatening manner. "What'sa matter, Kitty-boy? Can't handle that everybody's movin' on without you?" She laughed mirthlessly.

He growled, but before he could say anything Starrk broke the tension. "You seem to be doing well for yourself, Quinto."

"Ah, it works. Food's good. Bed's free. No fucktards tryin' ta tell me what ta do. And no  _Shinigami_." He grinned and his eye gleamed, but a second later he had another elbow to the ribs. "Oi! Woman!" He snarled, and she just hit his head with her sandal again.

"Don't insult the Shinigami. They pay for this place, remember?" Hiyori had her fists on her hips, still holding her favorite weapon. "It's thanks to the work Shinji and the rest do with the Soul Society that you're even here to begin with, so be grateful, and don't use such crass language!"

Grimmjow's brain was still trying desperately to keep up with this idea that Nnoitra fucking Gilga of all people was mated, and to some apparently half-Shinigami girl. So he simply stood there, Pantera still drawn but angled off to the side, and his head cocked slightly to the side, imitating the felines of the Human World, blinking in time with the twitch in his eyebrow.

"Jaegerjaques-san?" The largest non-Hollow Grimmjow had ever seen approached him, and gestured towards a more accommodating living area under the protection of a section of upper flooring that had yet to collapse. "My name is Ushouda Hachigen. Please feel free to call me Hacchi."

"Uh, then Grimmjow is fine." He followed the pink haired man to a low table, still watching with some concern over his shoulder at the arguing couple.

Noticing their guest's eyebrow was still twitching, Hacchi put a hand on Grimmjow's arm, "No need to worry, they won't do anything up here."

"Feh." The Sexta scoffed and shrugged off the touch. "Who's worried?" He rolled his eyes, if Starrk wasn't worried, why should he? Then again, when did Starrk ever worry? He then realized and sheathed Pantera to take a seat near the table. Wrinkling his nose in disdain, "Tell me ya've got somethin' other than tea?"

Off to the side Lisa looked up from her manga, "There's sake." She pinned him with her eyes, and Grimmjow found himself swallowing reflexively. "Somewhere."

"Uh huh." He raised an eyebrow, unsure of the wisdom of accompanying Shinji and Starrk, and not the first time since entering the strange hideout.

Suddenly all tension and atmosphere was cut by the opening of a Senkaimon in the middle of the warehouse. The figures stepped through, backlit by the world-between-worlds. Two fairly tall men, one with long hair and the other with afro-style spikes, lead the group of five. They were literally leapt over by a wiry girl, wearing what appeared to be a skin-tight suit, and were followed by a Shinigami captain and  _him_. Love and Rose moved over to where Lisa and Hacchi had tea ready for them. Mashiro, again literally, bounced up to Grimmjow, but couldn't get his attention from where she was waving her arms and making silly face noises before becoming bored and pouncing Kensei. The white-haired 9th Division captain had not removed his uniform, unlike Rose, and casually caught the green-haired girl without breaking whatever conversation he was having with  _him._

"Yama-jii is out of his mind. How can there still be any doubts about all of this?"  _He_  was saying, gesturing with his right hand. Zangetsu was on his back, as usual, and the reiatsu pouring from him made Grimmjow's mouth go dry. Or maybe that was just being face to face with him and unable to—no! Grimmjow Jaegerjaques did NOT run away!

He didn't even realize he was standing until the Berry addressed him, "Yo." He had his arms crossed over his chest and a challenge written across his face, from the drawn orange brows to the slow burn in his eyes.

"Strawberry." Grimmjow growled, and ignored the reactions around the room. So what if his Berry thought he was top cat? The 'King' of Hueco Mundo would knock him down to size. All it took was getting the Berry under him—wait what?

Ichigo caught the subtle hesitation in Grimmjow's eyes and allowed an air of superiority to slide into his face, his lips curling at the corner to flash teeth and his eyebrow raising just a bit. The gathered Visoreds and Espada watched the silent combat, confident that they knew who would win in the end. So Ichigo pressed his advantage over the larger male, stepping forward, uncrossing his arms. Neither broke eye contact, both aware acutely of what was being decided. The first to look away would hand dominance to the other. Somewhere in the back of his head Grimmjow thought that maybe their reiatsu was coming into play, but Ichigo knew better. His whole presence radiated his position in the room, and this new player didn't make any difference.

Stepping forward once more brought the first show of submission from the blue-haired feline, and that was all it took. Without thinking Grimmjow sat down, and Ichigo flashed a full smile, victory obvious in the flash of gold in his eyes. Internally all of the gathered Visoreds heard Shirosaki purr.

"Welcome back, Grimm." Ichigo stood over him—how had that happened?—a particularly feral smile on his face. "And I see you've brought company, or perhaps it's Nnoitra's doing?" The youngest Visored let his gaze slip over the Quinto, who refused to meet his eyes and stepped unconsciously closer to Hiyori.

When Kurosaki-sama stepped away, he nodded at Starrk, who had approached the table with Shinji, Nnoitra and Hiyori. "I'm sure you know who I am, and I gather you're here to retrieve your missing family members?" There was none of the obvious signs of challenge in the orangette's body language, but then canines had always been easier for him than felines.

Starrk inclined his head, deliberately closing his eyes and looking at the floor, indicating no desire to challenge what he clearly saw as the Alpha of the group. "Hirako-san kindly informed me that Nnoitra was here, and was very gracious in escorting myself and Grimmjow here to see him." Casting a glance at the tall dark-haired Espada, who was trying to play his submission off as nonchalance, the Primera latched on to the topic being discussed upon Ichigo's arrival. "I don't mean to be presumptuous, Kurosaki-sama, but what exactly is Yamamoto-Sotaicho doubting?"

Ichigo smirked, and waved Nnoitra over to them. The lanky strides held more hesitation than expected by either of the other Espada, but he got there quickly. "Nnoitra, remove your eyepatch." Ichigo put his hands into the pockets of his hakama, fully expecting compliance without question.

The Quinto frowned. "Tch!" He rolled his eye and focused on the ceiling before ripping the white and black fabric off of his face to reveal a second eye, just as focused on the ceiling.

Starrk blinked, and Grimmjow stared openly. "The fuck?" As always the Sexta's language was far from dull.


	5. Challenge

"Espada aren't that diff'rent from Vizards." Shinji supplied when Nnoitra sucked his teeth and jammed the patch back over his eye. The blonde stood just behind Ichigo's shoulder, hands in his pants pockets, and didn't even look phased when Nnoitra pushed past him, clearly not comfortable being the center of attention.

Grimmjow saw Hiyori lead him off the main room and into a side door that was obscured by shadow. As such he missed most of what Shinji said, but it was something about being able to act like Visoreds, putting the Hollow half inside and bringing out the Shinigami. There was something about solving some issue or something, but really he just tuned the other out until he realized amber eyes were boring into him. He shifted uncomfortably, "What?" He snapped, drawing everyone's attention.

All conversation stopped, and all eyes focused on him, as Ichigo stepped up to within arm's reach. All previous calm was gone, the orangette had an eyebrow raised, and Shirosaki was hovering just under the young man's own impressive reiatsu. There were few willing to step up toe-to-toe with Ichigo, even Kenpachi and Nnoitra knew when to back down, but Grimmjow was out of the loop. He'd missed too much time, been free with only himself as master, and only needing to care about maintaining his dominance in Hueco Mundo. So, the very obvious demand for submission in the Visored's body language went ignored. If anything, the longer the tension drew between them the more Grimmjow felt like grabbing the strawberry and throwing him to the ground.

For Ichigo's part, this second challenge in less than an hour was doing things he really didn't want the rest of his Pride to know about. Shiro echoed in his head to grab the Sexta and take him somewhere private, but there needed to be a public response. He needed to show Grimmjow who was in charge here. All of their lives depended on it.

He spoke, low with a dangerous echo coloring his words, "Grimmjow, is there a problem here?" The gold slid into his eyes again, and several of the others quickly found other things more interesting to look at, avoiding running the risk of being caught staring.

"I dunno,  _Shinigami_ , is there?" The blunette drew himself up to his full 6'1" height, but had his arms crossed over his chest. He glared down at the slightly shorter orangette, but internally realized that the shorter vantage point meant that Ichigo's glare was more potent through the fringe of orange. His internal feline was starting to regret lashing out, but he just couldn't back down, his ego wouldn't let him.

"No, Grimmjow, I don't think there is." Shiro screamed inside his head that he was being weak, but Ichigo kept up the press of his dominance. He was gaining ground with the Sexta, he could see it in those endless cerulean pools, and he tried to pour his need to be Leader into his glare. If he could only make the other understand why things had to be this way it would stop all of this foolishness, but he'd gone through this with Ikkaku, and Kenpachi, and then again with Nnoitra. He'd even had to lean on Renji harder than he had with almost everyone else, but Grimmjow was different. He was the only one that was truly wild, not even Aizen had been able to tame the Sexta. Ichigo, and the rest of the half-Hollows, needed to show that he was in control, that there weren't any loose cannons, that the Court of Pure Souls had nothing to fear from those who blurred the line between Shinigami and Hollow.

The unconscious movement of Grimmjow's hand to Pantera's hilt was the straw that broke the camel's back. Faster than it was possible, Ichigo had Tensa Zangetsu against his throat. He hadn't even sensed when the Visored had shifted in to Bankai. He was on his back, real fear reflected in his eyes as he felt the ultra-sharp blade nick his Adam's apple. He swallowed and felt the slide of warm blood drip down the curve of his neck.

Ichigo was less than an inch from his face, the feral snarl on his face more Hollow than anything else. His voice was even darker, if that was possible. "I am Pride Leader, _panther_. Don't forget that you are in my territory. I could kill you and not a single person here would stop me. It is my right as Leader. Challenge me again, and you will see me exercise that right, I promise."

He must have let something slip into his eyes because in the next second Ichigo was gone, not even in the warehouse any longer, and he was still lying there, his hands somehow bound to his sides and the small cut oozing blood the only evidence he'd been pinned down.

"Mah! Intense." The sound of one of his previous 'masters' brought Grimmjow back to his feet.

"Indeed. Kurosaki-sama is always such after meetings with the Sotaicho." The other voice came from the same place, and as the shadows lifted both Grimmjow and Starrk tensed, though the former was more visible.

Gin was pushing a cart laden with bowls and a pot of what smelled like miso, and Tousen carried a fresh pot of tea. Both were dressed in a mockery of their Espada uniforms, but in black. The blind man's eyes were bound in a white cloth, and his partner's haori was open to reveal bandages wrapping his torso. He also walked favoring his right leg and left arm.

"Ah, Ichimaru, Tousen, that would be dinner wouldn't it?" Shinji moved to greet the former traitors, taking the tea from Tousen so he could begin dishing the soup. The thought of why the blind man was serving was answered when Gin showed he could only carry one bowl at a time, his right hand horribly disfigured was quickly recovered by the length of his sleeve and held tightly against his chest.

Taking a cue from the others, Starrk joined them at their table, leaving Grimmjow to try and comprehend how they could even be alive. He was sure Halibel had seen Tousen impaled on his former Fukutachio's Shikai, and just how could Gin have survived if Aizen hadn't.

"S'simple, Grimmjow-san!" Gin smiled his trademark, but was somehow softer than last the Sexta had seen him. At his look of confusion, the silver-haired former captain said, "Ya were mumblin' out loud." He held out a bowl of the soup, and seemed so pathetic that all Grimmjow could do was take it.

He followed the other back to the pot, still holding the bowl. "Ya said it was simple, how then?"

"Hm?" Gin turned. "Oh! Kaname 'n' I're vizards now. Aizen-san's defeat sent enough energy out ta boost me up. Then Rangiku-chan carried me here. Kaname was already half-Hollow, so with Shinji-san and Urahara-san's help we mostly recovered." He tiled his head a bit, a wistful cast to his grin, and Grimmjow noticed he held his hand even closer to his body, effectively pulling his haori closed.

"Ya said 'defeat', y'mean Aizen ain't dead?" Grimmjow froze, a noodle hanging from his mouth.

"Nah. Soul Society's got 'im locked up nice 'n' tight tho. Don'tcha worry. Kurosaki-sama'll see to it he'll never seen the light o'day again. He's good 'bout takin' care o' his own." The fox-faced man looked up through his silver bangs. "He protects 'em, even from themselves."

Tousen approached then with two bowls. "Gin." He said quietly, and the two returned to the kitchen, leaving Grimmjow to his thoughts.


	6. Talking Part 2

It was hours later when Ichigo returned to the Visoreds' warehouse. Starrk and Shinji were playing some human game involving small statues moving in odd ways around a black and white board. Grimmjow had tried to follow it for a while but sitting there watching the two was like watching grass grow. So he took to wandering around the public area of the warehouse. Love, Rose, Lisa and Hacchi were each involved in their own book; Lisa and Love listening to music. Hiyori and Nnoitra were still holed up in the rooms off to the side, and Gin and Tousen had only reappeared once to collect the soup pot then for a third time retreated to the kitchen, this time with Kensei and Mashiro in tow carrying bowls and cups to be washed. All in all this left the feline Espada to his own devices, resulting in an extremely bored Sexta.

Growling to himself, he made one more circuit of the room before Shinji stopped him, "Yanno, there's a ladder that leads ta the roof over there. If ya wanna pace, why don't ya investigate the roof while yer at it since ya almost knocked a hole in it earlier."

Starrk watched the blunette, and when it looked like Grimmjow was going to refuse, he said, "I'm sure you wouldn't want to insult our hosts, Sexta."

So, that was how Ichigo found him upon landing from the roof across the street in a combination of Sonido and Shunpo. He watched the object of his affection for a while, kicking stones from the warehouse roof and swearing to himself about pushy former superiors.

"Sorry about earlier." He broke through Grimmjow's thoughts.

The blunette froze, staring, then glared and stormed right up into Ichigo's face. "Sorry? Yer sorry? D'ya have any clue what I'd do ta ya if'n ya stepped one toe inta MY territ'ry back in Hueco Mundo?" He was shouting, and Ichigo was thankful that several floors of rubble, debris and soundproofing insulation were between them and the occupants.

He was back in his gigai, and all of the previous over-bearing presence was gone. Brown-amber-flecked eyes looked up into Grimmjow's cerulean with an exhaustion that completely deflated whatever the Sexta had been about to rant about next.

"I don't expect this to be easy for you." He was speaking, that voice running over Grimmjow's ears like something out of another world. "I don't even know what I'm going to do about you. I never expected you to survive. I hoped, but that doesn't mean anything. I hoped for a lot of things after the war, but I didn't get most of them. I certainly didn't get that nice, normal life I thought I wanted." He looked hesitant, and unsure of himself. It so completely clashed with what Grimmjow had seen in front of the others that once again he was thrown off his game.

Shaking his head, trying to clear the confusion, he frowned. "What's up with you, Shinigami? Yer nothin' like ya were before, and this back 'n' forth game yer playin', it's makin' my head spin." The confusion brought frustration and the frustration lead him back to the same questions he'd been fighting with for ten years, just why did he care so much!

Ichigo scoffed, "Times change. You can't tell me you actually think I enjoy being the one everyone looks to for answers?" The look on Grimmjow's face told him enough. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and he took a seat on the edge of the roof. "After Kisuke and I took Aizen down everybody expected me to lose my powers, and for a long time, months, it looked like I was. Then something happened, a mutation or something. Kisuke chalks it up to Shiro, my inner Hollow, but I dunno, it's more than that I think. It's like—" He scoffed, seeming to come back to himself.

Grimmjow just stared, entranced, just like the other day when he was watching from across the street.

Ichigo laughed mirthlessly again. "I don't know when I started talking to you, but after everything started piling up I found myself looking back at our fights and wishing more and more to have life be that simple again. Somehow it got all twisted around and the more pets I got the more I wanted to talk to you. So I did, but you weren't there." He turned, catching Grimmjow's eyes with his own, "Where were you?"

The blunette floundered for words, the shift of attention unexpected, and off-putting. He solved it with his usual snide attitude, "Why d'you care, Shinigami?"

"I have a name, Grimm." Ichigo sighed, pulling a knee up to his chest and staring off into the gathering starlight. It had been a long day. The tension of his meeting with Yamamoto and the new Central 46 radiated through his back, and he had a growing migraine. So, he deliberately didn't rise to the Espada's bait.

Having been virtually ignored deflated Grimmjow's irritation again. He watched Ichigo, taking the subtle lines of stress etched into the younger male's frame; the way he had his arms crossed, fingers digging into his own flesh; the squinting of his eyes that betrayed his pain, and frankly, Grimmjow pitied the man. It was a surreal epiphany. Before Aizen had been all about survival and getting stronger; if an opponent was weaker, he ate him. Under Aizen it was all about defending his position and preparing for some great plan that he really hadn't had too much interest in, and after Aizen had been about proving he was worthy of keeping his territory. Well, that and getting stronger to try and take on the strawberry Shinigami again. But now that he had the perfect opportunity to strike his greatest opponent down, he didn't. He found himself listening more closely, actually wanting to know what had happened to the overwhelming teen that had invaded his home and thoroughly trounced all of the inhabitants.

So, with utter confusion making his brain spin, he sat down. "Kurosaki-sama—" He started.

"Up here, away from the others, call me Ichigo." The orangette interrupted.

"Ichigo." Grimmjow tried, finding he sort of liked the way the name rolled off his tongue. "I was in Hueco Mundo. Fixin' shit Aizen fucked up when he started recruitin' Vasto Lordes."

"Like breeding?" Ichigo asked, watching the Espada out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, and other shit. Territ'ries needed sortin' out. New Alphas, new Leaders, new Packs and Prides. Los Noches was a common target. I had ta take it so nobody'd think 'bout tryin' ta take over fer Aizen." He ran a hand through his blue spikes, knowing he was mostly lying. Not that those things hadn't gone on; he just wasn't really part of it. He'd claimed Los Noches and most of everyone else stayed away. If one got technical, claiming Los Noches meant he was King, even though he hadn't really fought for it. "It was a lot o' shit."

Ichigo actually chuckled at that, "I gathered." Now came the bigger question, the one that had been bugging the strawberry since the very first night he'd sensed Grimmjow's reiatsu outside his window. "So, why'd you come back?" The Espada seemed confused, so he continued, "Why not just stay in Hueco Mundo? Set yourself up a territory and find a pretty Arrancar to mate with; make hundreds of little Grimm-kittens with her." He smirked at Grimmjow's horrified expression.

"Bite yer tongue, Shinigami!" He shuddered involuntarily, his internal feline hissing and spitting loudly. "D'ya know how irritatin' cubs are? Not ta mention the trouble o' findin' a female able ta survive matin' wi' me. I ain't the Sexta fer no reason, yanno." That line of thought brought up even more shudder-inducing images. "How 'bout you? How come yer all shacked up with all o' these Shinigami types? After the way ya reacted ta that Princess chica I figured ya'd've hauled her off the way ya Humans marry off."

Ichigo shook his head, a small smile gracing his face as he thought back to how things had been before he became Leader. "Orihime's fun to play with sometimes, but she's like all the others; just a pet. Always has been."

"Ya keep callin' 'em that. Thought they were yer  _friends_." He emphasized the word to get his opinion of the idea across.

The orangette sighed again, looking off into the stars, but Grimmjow could tell his mind was anything but in the present. "It started fairly simply. After Aizen was throw in the Maggot's Nest, and Kisuke and Shinji and I had my powers figured out, Yama-jii tried to offer me the 5th. Aizen's old division, but at that point I was still alive. So, I turned him down. Told him that I didn't want to give up my life just to live my entire afterlife under his thumb before I had to. He didn't like it too much but there wasn't anything he could really do. I was still Human and therefore, he couldn't touch me." He paused, considering something, "Well, I was still alive. I think I stopped be Human the day Kisuke threw me into that pit."

Grimmjow was intrigued but didn't want to interrupt the story.

A few moments of silence stretched on while Ichigo apparently was lost in his own mind. Then he started speaking again, "Rukia was first. She was so stressed out, and I could see it. Every subtle motion she made. Of course, Byakuya was beside himself when he discovered what I was doing to his sister. I think if looks could kill, his would be the one that did my mortal body in, but really, all I was doing was responding. I had no control over my abilities, and it took a long time before Rukia and I realized it wasn't anything more than that. Then it was Orihime and of all people, Uryuu! Kami that boy was so high strung! After that Shiro and I started working together with this non-reiatsu power I have." He scoffed, "Then Yama-jii informed us of the new Central 46, and that they'd decided half-Hollows of all kinds had to be destroyed. Or at least, locked up where they could treat us like weapons instead of people."

He fell silent again, and Grimmjow noticed his knuckles were white. The tension surrounding him was like a physical blanket, wrapped so tightly that the younger male couldn't even move for fear of snapping a bone. Without thinking, the blunette reached out and slid his claws through the orange spikes. The moan Ichigo let out flew straight to his groin, and he pulled his hand back like it was burned.

"Heh. Sorry. So few people are willing to actually touch me these days without my direct order that spontaneous stuff like that is amazing." A flush stained his cheeks, and he resettled himself to face Grimmjow more.

"Why do they need ya ta order 'em around? Ya ain't their boss. Yer just the strongest in yer territ'ry." Grimmjow frowned, but he wasn't sure if it was because he'd touched Ichigo or because the orangette had moved to be unreachable from his position.

"That's just it. I'm the strongest. So, you know how it goes. Those that are weaker look to the stronger for guidance. Packs and Prides are built that way. The strongest becomes the Leader and the rest are just fraccion." His voice had that echoing quality about it again, as if using those terms to describe his allies wasn't something he fully allowed himself to do.

"So—" Grimmjow trailed off, more of his initial confusion making him think a helluva lot more than he was comfortable with. "How come ya sleep with 'em?"

Ichigo stared at him for a few moments, the color rising to his face, vaguely reminiscent of that awkward teenager who'd demanded that he was only invading Hueco Mundo to rescue his friend. Then he burst out laughing. "It's all about dominance. Dominance is sexy. So, take a whole group of nearly immortal former Humans, who are all sex addicts as a species, and add the insane mating drive of a Hollow, and well, the rest should be obvious." There were tears running down his face and his ribs hurt, but the tension in his shoulders was gone and the pain from his migraine was buried beneath the onslaught of endorphins in his brain. "I'm actually surprised you haven't jumped me yet. I know I affected you, not just today but the other two times before."

Grimmjow growled. "I'm no pet, Shinigami! I'm not just gonna lay down so's ya c'n fuck me! Fuck that! I don't care how 'sexy' ya think dominance is, the 'King' of Los Noches doesn't lay down fer anyone!" He was on his feet again, claws flexing. Internally, Pantera lashed her tail.

As though to add insult to injury, Ichigo was still laughing. "No, no, sit! Kami! You're a riot, Grimm." He panted heavily, the stress obviously catching up to him in his inability to control himself. The confusion radiating from the Sexta was almost too much to bear. He smiled brightly up at the other, "I only top women."

Grimmjow's head spun again, and worse the berry was still snickering. "So, yer a-? But-? How? I mean, yer the Leader of the Pride. Doesn't how ya like it in bed affect that?"

"Not at all. They all know who's in control, and those moments of pseudo-dominance help keep a lot of them in line." Ichigo snorted, rolling his eyes. He had that far off look again, clearly digging through his memories for information. "There are a few guys who like it both ways, but most of them find their real pleasure in other partners. I'm just there to keep everybody in line." He shrugged. "Really."

"So, when ya said about me jumpin ya?" Grimmjow raised an eyebrow, finally beginning to get the whole picture.

"I meant you fucking me."


	7. Mine!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING!** This chapter is pretty much ONE GIGANTIC **LEMON** if this is something you do not wish to read please skip down to the "~HERE ENDS SMUT~" line! There is a tiny bit of plot at the very end. So, if you're looking to move forward in the story without smut, I apologize, next week's update will be more geared towards you. However, if the idea of highly detailed boy-on-boy lovin's is something you drool over (don't we all?) then enjoy! =D

"That so?" The blunette stalked up to the berry until he was towering over the smaller male.

Ichigo leaned back on his hands, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Amber orbs burned in lust, watching the cerulean that tracked his tongue as he licked his lips. His position drew the fabric of his tee shirt tight across his chest, and the light of the streetlamp below them highlighted the athletic lines years of fighting had carved out of his body. He knew how he looked. He knew the affect he had on people. Hell, it was the whole reason he'd started collecting pets in the first place. There's only so much avoiding drooling fans that one hybrid can do before the attention starts to affect him back. So, as Grimmjow stood, hands in his pockets, staring hungrily down at the berry, Ichigo drank in the way those burning blue eyes savored him.

**~HERE THERE BE SMUT~**

Then it was too much, Grimmjow was on his knees and Ichigo was knocked onto his back on the roof. The Sexta had his hands to either side of the orange mop of spikes, and the rest of the orangette between his legs. They hovered like that with the Arrancar's lips millimeters above the hybrid's. A soft puff of air and the space was gone with hungry, desperate pressure, as though both were certain that at any second the other would disappear.

Grimmjow slid a hand under Ichigo's neck and pulled him up so that they were vertical, the orangette still technically underneath, but that was quickly changed after the Espada shucked his jacket off to the side. Neither were willing to break the suction between them, but they had to for Ichigo to remove his shirt. The seconds of separation were enough for their positions to be reversed; Grimmjow still kneeling on the roof but now with the orangette's long, sinewy legs wrapped around his hips. This brought their still clothed groins into close proximity, and a muffled moan was swallowed between them, neither sure who had made the noise.

Hands trailed across pectorals scarred and built from decades of defending himself. Claws drew red lines across the pale flesh of a lower back. Teeth punctured lips until blood welled up, only to be lapped away. Purring echoed with moaning, and fingers dug into spikes to grasp and clench, while both sets of hips ground together awkwardly to gain that precious, delicious friction. It was too much and not enough at the same time. Mind blowing, and maddening. Ten years of pent up attraction and pining coming together in mere moments as the two lost themselves in the sensations of the other.

Somehow Grimmjow's hakama-himo came untied and the clasp and zipper of Ichigo's jeans was open. As though their lips were magnetized, the two only pulled away to clash together again. The orangette slid backwards off the blunette's lap to slide his jeans and underwear off, baring his weeping and angry manhood to the slight chill in the air. The lack of modesty shot straight to Grimmjow's groin as he leaned forward to stalk on all fours up to that proud erection. A wiggle of his hips left his much looser hakama behind, which allowed him to concentrate on laving and nipping at the sensitive flesh of the inside of Ichigo's thigh. A bite here, a lick there, and the trailing of just this side of sharp claws across the pale pink skin left goose bumps that ended in a shiver and a twitch of that weeping shaft.

Ichigo propped himself back on his elbows, darkened eyes locked on the things the panther was doing to his erogenous zones. When that slightly rough tongue first made contact with the sensitive skin of his scrotum he couldn't stop the moan that tore from his throat. The fine orange hairs were nothing to a feline and Grimmjow made certain to groom every last one before drawing one of the orbs into his mouth to suck on it lightly. This left the hybrid wishing there were blankets under them so he'd have something to grab onto with his hands. He didn't dare put them in the blue locks on top of his tormentor's head; that would ruin all of the sinful tension building in his belly. Another light suck and Grimmjow changed sides, drawing the other delicate ball into his evil mouth. His eyes locked on Ichigo's and he smirked around his prize when the other couldn't keep his own open after a particularly forceful application of suction.

Thoroughly undone without even being touched in his most sensitive of areas meant that when that hot, velvet finally touched his shaft it was all Ichigo could do to hold himself back. As such strong fingers wrapped themselves around the base of his erection forming a living cock ring. Three licks and a well-placed kiss to the soft spot below the curve of his glans had the orangette bucking in a false orgasm. He threw his head back and howled at the withheld release, and focused on his breathing. For his part, Grimmjow just held on, waiting for the fires to ebb a bit before continuing.

When Ichigo looked back down at the blunette, still panting, his eyes at half-mast, Grimmjow almost went back to what he was doing, but the hybrid reached forward with a shaky hand. Gripping the blue spikes brought their eyes to meet and a subtle shake of the orange head had the larger male sitting back a bit, though he never lost his grip on his uke's shaft. The same shaky hand that gripped his newest lover's hair reached down to where the hand withheld his relief and encircled it. A brief flash of reiatsu and Grimmjow could feel a band of kido under his fingertips. When he moved his hand, a ring of gold light was doing what he had been. The surprise that flashed across his face made the worked up berry chuckle.

An evil glint entered the cerulean orbs at that point, and Ichigo found his hands held above his head, his mouth covered in a demonic kiss. Another flash of reiatsu had a black dimension box restraining his hands. "Two can play that game, Shinigami." The Sexta's voice was husky, rough with desire.

In response, Ichigo bucked his tortured cock up to rub against Grimmjow's own weeping erection. A sharp intake of breath brought a smile to the hybrid's lips. "Yeah, you just don't want me to do it to you."

"Damn straight." Came the half-growled response.

"There's nothing straight about this." The Visored did it again, prompting the Espada to crawl back down his body. When that sinfully delicious mouth once again began lapping and nipping at his cock, Ichigo couldn't stop his hips from responding. So, strong hands gripped him as he was enveloped in the hot, dangerous cavern. The suction and light friction from rough tongue and teeth continued until the hybrid writhed in a second false orgasm.

The straining meat in Grimmjow's mouth pulsed and twitched, weeping furiously, and above him Ichigo had his head thrown back again, his neck bare to the sky, eyes shut tight against the stars of his pleasure, and mouth hanging wide open without sound. The blunette smirked, crawling back up the sinful body beneath him to latch onto the pulse point of that neck. He drew the blood to the surface in a dark bruise, then lapped at the skin to make it spread through the muscle tissues. The world would see HIS berry marked for days, weeks if he could repeat the process. The substitute Shinigami may have two worlds full of pets, some of them may even occasionally top their Master, but Grimmjow was no pet. The strawberry beneath him, was HIS, and he'd make sure that everyone knew it.

Coming back to himself, Ichigo took one of the Sexta's hands and cast another kido, though this one was both shaky and messy as it covered his fingers in a slick, tingly type substance that glowed very faintly green. Deciding he didn't want to ask, the blunette merely devoured his berry's lips again while shifting his legs a little to prop Ichigo's hips up on his thighs. So Grimmjow could have both his hips and his mouth at the same time, the hybrid pushed himself up, holding his weight on one arm while guiding the panther's slicked hand to his backside.

He took the hint and growled against Ichigo's kisses while pressing his middle finger against the tight ring of muscle. A few circles around the exit-turned-entrance brought whimpering noises from the orangette's lips and the shifting of hips almost begging for penetration. The berry would be by the time the Arrancar was done with him. He smirked to himself as he dipped that finger just past the ring that already clenched at him wantonly. He took his time, using the torment of the Visored to keep a handle on his own arousal, sliding his middle finger in and out of Ichigo's behind until the orangette squirmed with a slightly frustrated moan. Then he added his ring finger and repeated the process, continuing to wind the berry up.

With the addition of a second finger, Ichigo had to lay back down, which drove the penetrating digits deeper into his tight channel. It drove him crazy. Bordering on incoherent from two false orgasms, the torturing pace Grimmjow was using almost had him doing the one thing he never did with his lovers: beg. The slow scissoring only continued when the panther finally added his index finger, and the orangette could tell his torture was being thoroughly enjoyed.

A rhythm only Grimmjow could hear was quickly breaking down that last barrier. He could see it on Ichigo's face, hear it in the way his moans were practically whines, and feel it in the way his body was strung as tight as the bow of a violin. Then he twisted his wrist and curved his fingers to press directly into the bundle of nerves behind the hybrid's prostate. A third false orgasm shot through that sinewy body, making him arch up on his heels and shoulders. The dimension box shattered and immediately his long fingers dug into Grimmjow's legs, the loudest moan yet tearing from his mouth.

Grimmjow brushed the bundle once or twice more as Ichigo's cock began to turn purple with need. Then he heard it, the sound he'd been waiting for, and it hit him right between the legs, bringing a painful hardness to his already deprived erection.

"G-Grimm—" Ichigo panted, "Puh-please!" He had to pause and breathe again, "F-fuck me—I—need it—PLEASE!" He moaned again, his hips pressing Grimmjow's fingers as deep as they could go.

"Sure, Kitten." The Sexta chuckled, and outright grinned as the Master of Two Worlds whined like a bitch in heat when he removed his fingers. The puckered, stretched entrance winked a few times as the panther lined himself up. Then he sank into that delicious heat and growled deeply in his berry's ear. "Mmm, Ichi, even after all o' that, yer as tight as a virgin."

The two writhed together, meshed as closely together as they could be. Ichigo's cock trapped between them actually brushed the top rim of Grimmjow's Hollow hole, where the skin was most sensitive. It was like having fingers ghosting over his erogenous zones all at the same time, and the panther growled in pleasure, his thrusts bouncing his uke.

"Mm—ahh—G-Grimm—harder!" Ichigo moaned into his seme's ear, gripping the broad shoulders above him hard enough to leave marks and wrapping his legs around the blunette's waist in a vice grip.

The Espada complied, driving into the body beneath him and biting down on the hickey he made. He growled against it again, then had to release it to pant, "Ichi—'M close. Wanna—Mmph!"

"Y-yeah." The orangette barely had the concentration to reach between them and grip his own manhood. He stroked it in time to Grimmjow's thrusts until he felt the larger male change the angle of penetration. This drove the tip of his cock against Ichigo's prostate directly, causing the smaller male to cry out and see stars.

Then something unexpected shattered them both. It started with the rhythm of their grinding as the Sexta dove deeper with a more demanding and insistent energy to his thrusts. Their pace slowed as well, both sensing the impending climax and wanting to draw it out as much as possible. Then as Ichigo released the binding kido and Grimmjow began to twitch on the edge of his orgasm, a shiver of reiatsu ran through them both. Stars exploded in their vision, white blinding them behind closed eyelids, and within Ichigo the spasming walls of his tunnel met hooked, blunt barbs that only drove him higher and further over the edge. Ropes of thick semen splattered between them as the same moment that they painted the same internal walls.

**~HERE ENDS SMUT~**

* * *

The final pulse of their combined climax was the last thing either felt before surrendering to the blissful embrace of subspace and sleep.

When Grimmjow came back to himself the first thing he noticed was he was warm, as though covered in a soft , fuzzy blanket. He hadn't felt like that since before he'd become an Arrancar. He stretched, arching his back and spreading both fingers and toes for an all-over tense and release. Blinking and smacking his lips a few times, he looked around and frowned confused.

It was a bedroom. Elegant tapestries hung on the walls, though slightly faded and worn with age. The floor was carpeted over tatami mats, and through the open doorway on the far wall he could see a desk and table and cushions for reclining while entertaining guests. There were no windows that he could see, but one of the tapestries moved gently, as though acting as a drape across an opening. He found himself stretched out on the most comfortable bed he'd ever experienced, with deep, soft pillows and, soft blankets that made for a nest that was perfect for his feline nature.

Pushing back the thin sheet that had been covering him, he got a second shock. He was in his released form, or at least, something like it. Short, fine fur in the deepest blue-black he'd ever seen covered most of his body, except for his chest and stomach, which somehow had no hole. That unnerved him more than the lack of armor plating. He poked gingerly at the newly solid muscles and his ear twitched along with his eyebrow. His long, flexible tail waved gently in curiosity.

Being a purely in-the-moment type of creature, he quickly decided to simply take his appearance in stride. Maybe it had something to do with mating Ichigo, but it was something he could contemplate later when he was sure he was safe and had—hold on. Surprise number three. Where the fuck was Ichigo? He firmly remembered passing out still buried deep within the berry's tight, hot—wait, not the time for thoughts like that!

He looked around, tail twitching agitated and inhaled deeply, trying to pick up anything that could lead him to his berry. No reiatsu, no clothing, not even the sweet, cinnamon-like scent that clung to the orangette. There was no sign of his berry at all. Either it had been days since he and the hybrid had been brought here, or he had been separated from his berry! That thought had his tail lashing back and forth, and he was out of his nest-bed in a movement almost as fast as his Sonido. He really did flash out of the room though, ignoring his pseudo-nudity. He was covered in fur, that was good enough.

Upon exiting the sleeping room, a grey-haired man in a shihakusho and haori lined with royal purple appeared in front of the Sexta. He bowed, making the panther stop short, and spoke in smooth tones, "Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Jaegerjaques-sama. I trust you slept well?"

"Uh? Who're you?" His tail still twitched.

"Gomenesai. I am Kuchiki Ginrei, captain of His Majesty's Royal Guard. I was told to escort you to His Majesty as soon as you were well-rested." The—apparent Shinigami—bowed again and gestured to the door.

Two shorter, smaller men, both in shihakusho—one black, one white—entered, carrying cloth and something resembling a posture collar. Grimmjow immediately balked at the idea and back-pedaled towards the bedroom.

"I AIN'T NO PET!" He roared, eyes wide and tail lashing.

Much to his dismay he found the wall where once the door to the bedroom had been solid, trapping him with the Shinigami. He hissed and spit, trying to inch along the wall, but finding that there was nowhere to go.

"Please, Jaegerjaques-sama, His Majesty is waiting, and you must be dressed appropriately to greet him." Ginrei gestured again and two more of the servants appeared.

The first one in black wrapped Grimmjow's waist in the white cloth as the Espada stared at the violet eyes of the second one in white. The slim, effeminate male had a hole in his throat and the remnants of a Hollow mask across his brow in the guise of eyebrow piercings.

"Yer a Hollow! An Arrancar! What the fuck?" The blunette ignored the servant fixing the waistcloth and tying an ornamental belt with turquoise set gold bars across the front such that his tail was still unconstrained. The cloth itself was white with a blue brocade along the bottom hem that hung just above his ankles, similar to where his armor plating used to end.

"Yes, any servant dressed in white here is an Arrancar. Some were Vasto Lordes in Hueco Mundo before coming here, but many were not. All it takes for a Hollow to make it into His Majesty's service is to ask for it. His Majesty is quite generous." The older Shinigami had a wistful look on his face.

The first Arrancar servant was wrapping a second cloth around the panther's chest. It covered his pectoral muscles and part of his ribs, but left the center of his chest open as it crossed behind his neck, mimicking his armor plating again without covering his arms. The blunette tilted his head in true feline form to watch as the small Arrancar draped similar strings of gold and turquoise bars across the gap in the cloth in increasing numbers from three at his ribs to six across his collar bones.

"Ya sound fond of 'im." Eyes still locked on the actions of the servants. Now that he'd stopped fighting the other two merely stood back and watched as the first two took to braiding his unruly sky blue locks with gold to match his belt and chest jewelry until he had a second long, thin tail, this one reaching just above the black furry one. When they were finished he tilted his head back and forth, testing the swing of the braid. It felt odd being restrained.

"You are almost presentable, Jaegerjaques-sama." Ginrei approached him, bearing the collar that was decorated in the same turquoise and gold as the rest of his decorations.

"Fuck no! Grimmjow Jaegerjaques is nobody's pet! I won't wear any fucking collar! Back the fuck off, old man!" Once again the panther found himself pressed back against the wall, hedged in on all sides by the servants. Before he knew it, each servant had grabbed a limb and Ginrei was buckling the collar around his neck. He growled, spit, hissed, and thrashed, but by the time he was released the infernal piece of jewelry was fastened around his neck, crowning the strings of matching bars. As soon as the five assaulting men backed off the Sexta tried to remove the collar, but couldn't find the clasp. "Git it off, old man! I won't wear no fucking collar like some housecat!" His tail lashed.

"I cannot. Only His Majesty can remove it now." The grey-haired Shinigami turned then and began walking out of the room. "Come, your theatrics have kept His Majesty waiting long enough."


	8. Kokuo-Heika!?

Upon entering the throne room, Grimmjow was assaulted once again with the lavish and sheer immensity of his surroundings. Everything was polished in precious metals, rare stones, or gems. The room itself looked large enough to fit the entire Visored warehouse with room for a garden. The walls were lined with tall windows, allowing soft sunlight to stream through intricately frosted glass. Periodically, elegantly painted shoji screens were hung from the vaulted ceiling, giving the idea that the room could be partitioned off if a more intimate gathering was required.

The dais at the end of the great hall was raised high above gold-lined steps accented with gemstones of every color. On the corners were four proud, crimson columns, the front two bearing the imperial seal and strung between the back two, over the throne, the names of all four worlds—Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, the Living World, and Hell—in delicate calligraphy on vellum that appeared to have been dusted with gold.

Having already determined that they were approaching the Spirit King, Grimmjow was not surprised to see the royal figure seated on the throne. However, he did not expect to be led directly up the staircase onto the dais to kneel directly at His Majesty's feet. The Spirit King was the epitome of royalty, as to be expected, with elegant robes and jewelry and his face in shadow as no person, living or dead, could look upon his face and survive. This did not overwhelm the Sexta as much as it could have though, especially when he happened to glance to the side because a splash of orange caught his eye.

"Sh-Shinigami!" The blunette sputtered.

"My apologies, heika." Ginrei bowed deeply again. "Jaegerjaques-sama is quite the brash individual."

The chuckle from behind the shadows was like fresh cream on a hot day to Grimmjow's ears, "Oh, Ginrei-kun, We are well aware of his personality. It is why We are so pleased that events have developed in this way." A deep, wet cough followed the statement and a few deep breaths that rattled like rocks in a cage had the three men holding their own breath. The King held up a hand, and took a long drink from a tea cup that materialized in his palm. Another rattling breath and he spoke again, "Please, sit. We are not holding audience at the moment, we do not need to stand on formality."

Once the two visitors had been seated on cushions, Ginrei bowed again and took a stance behind them, watching out into the throne room with carefully controlled disinterest. He looked for all the world just like his grandson and was pointedly not listening to the conversation between the king and his guests.

"First, We want to apologize for snatching you away from what must have been one of the best experiences of your lives." The King had to take another drink to stave off more coughing. "We will get right to the point. We are, what Our ancestors described as, fading. This means, in essence, We are dying." Ichigo gasped, and Grimmjow tilted his head in confusion. "We are aware that this seems out of context, but believe Us—" He coughed harshly again, "We are dying. It is written in the archives of the royal line, as preserved by the Kuchiki noble house, that when the successor to the King comes into his powers, the current King will begin to 'fade'. We cannot truly die. Our spirit will simply be placed back into the place where all souls are born, and We will be born again when it is time for Our next life." Once again his body was wracked with coughing, his breath ragged and short. "Ah, We believe it is almost time. There is one more thing We must do before We retire to Our deathbed. Ginrei-kun, if you please?"

"Of course, Heika." The elder Kuchiki snapped his fingers once and from the right and left of the hall eight servants, half Shinigami, half Hollow, appeared. He gestured and they swung the shoji screens on their sliders to block the throne from view on all sides.

This blocked all but the faintest of light from reaching the two visitors, bathing the entire dais in muted multicolored hues. The King sighed wearily, but content with the lower lighting. "You will not remember this, Grimmjow-kun, but you have always been precious to us. In all of Our lifetimes stretching back into the history of Our Worlds."

The powerful, but delicate and long fingered hand reached out and took liberties that had it been literally anyone else the panther would have drawn blood. Instead, he found himself leaning into the touch, purring, and thinking how familiar it seemed. Could he have once been close to the King? He didn't know, but it certainly felt that way. In fact, the way those long fingers ran through his scalp felt identical to the way it felt the night before when Ichigo had pulled on the blue spikes that formed his bangs. That thought made him freeze and the chuckle he heard from beyond the still shadowed face was entirely too opportune to be anything but what it was.

"Ah, you begin to get an idea, Grimm-kun." The laugh brought another round of coughing upon the Monarch, and it took longer for him to recover. When he did, his tone was serious once again. "Ichigo." The orangette looked up. "By now you must have questioned where you got your talents, how you are able to do the things you do, and the abilities you have gained in the last few years. Yes, even the fact that you died is important now."

The air was tense around them, and both could feel the shifting of reiatsu as the weight of what was being implied began to sink into their minds. The hybrid opened his mouth to speak a few times, but no sound came out. Neither could really formulate the words needed to actually ask the unspoken question aloud.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, as that is your name in this incarnation, you are the next Spirit King. When We have faded completely, you will be drawn here where you will pass the Trials of Royalty and assume your place as Monarch of the Four Realms. Take what time you have left to finish the tasks you have already set in front of yourself, and draw closer to your Consort. You will need that bond when you don the mantle of the station. Ginrei-kun will be here to help you settle in once you've passed the Trials, but nothing will support you like the bond you already share with your Consort." With that the King sighed again, "Ginrei." He called.

Instantly the shoji screens were removed, and the captain of the royal guard appeared on the dais. He bowed to the King and spoke, "Come, I am sure you both have many questions. Some may be answered now, but most will have to wait until His Majesty has faded completely." He walked down the stairs respectfully and the other two could do nothing but follow.

The second they were away from the throne room, Grimmjow exploded with what was becoming his catch phrase, "What the fuck!" He took an extra-long stride to catch up to the Kuchiki elder. "Now look, Kuchiki! I c'n accept that Arrancar, 'specially the Espada, aren't that much diff'rent than Shinigami. I mean, jus' look at us," He gestured to himself, but looking down when he did it made him pause, "er, look at them rather. I dun know what the fuck ya've turned me inta, but that don't matter at the moment." He waved his hand as though dismissing the topic, "What I mean was it makes sense, them being able ta shift ta bring the Shinigami out more than the Hollow, like the Vis'reds do. And I jus' got used ta the idea that Kurosaki's some amazin'ly dominant sex god, cuz really, he is. 'E's got this draw to 'im that makes ya wanna fall in line and follow 'im—" He trailed off, realization dawning on his face. "That's the whole point, ain't it! 'E's always had this attraction that makes even his worst enemies wanna flock ta fight fer him. It's cuz he's ta be the King, ain't it? That's why nobody's been able ta refuse him!"

The panther completely ignored the captain of the royal guard in favor of looking back at the hybrid, who was walking with his head down, having been silent this whole time, his bangs hanging in his face. He seemed to be contemplating the carpet as they walked—somewhere. Grimmjow vaguely realized they weren't headed for the rooms where he'd woken up, and though they could have been headed for the ones where Ichigo had slept, he doubted it. Most of his attention, though, was still on the bowed orange head behind him.

After a few minutes of silence while they walked, the Visored finally spoke, with quiet tones vibrating with his power. "Kuchiki-Taicho?"

"You may address me as Ginrei, Denka." The silver-haired Kuchiki paused his steps to face the orangette.

"Ginrei-san then, I am to be the King, yes?" He didn't wait for acknowledgement, and when he raised his head, the fire that had been there during the minor Challenge Grimmjow had initiated shone in the amber and cinnamon depths of his eyes. "That means that I have the authority to command the Gotei 13. Yama-jii and the Central 46 have to answer to me." His eyebrows were drawn in contemplation.

"In essence, yes, Denka. Though you will not radiate with your position until you have passed the Trials of Royalty." Curiosity came back from the captain of the royal guard. He continued, "You also have the authority to command the King of Hueco Mundo, should he be found again, and his followers. You may even go to Hell if you need to, and have the authority to both condemn and pardon any soul, living or dead. The one exception to this power, Denka, is the Living World, as the First King determined that Mortals should be given the freedom to govern themselves. In short, you may not approach the Mortal governments and demand that they do anything for you. You may influence them, and often in the past the King has helped avert disasters of world destroying proportions."

Ichigo looked troubled, but nodded. "Yes, that wouldn't be good. Being able to command the living that way would probably undo all of the hard work being put into running the other three worlds. But, specifically, if I told the Central 46 to stop doing something, or demanded that a law be changed, they would have to do it, right?"

"Yes, Denka, in essence." The Kuchiki elder nodded, still curious.

The orangette was silent in thought for a moment, "Then I think I need to make a stop in Seireitei before returning to the Living World if you don't mind, Ginrei-san."

For the first time since waking up, Grimmjow got a good look at Ichigo. The orangette was dressed in a formal kimono in deep aqua embroidered with nine dragons in gold thread that Grimmjow supposed was probably real gold. His hakama was white, pristine and sharply creased at the right places with a matching hakama-himo. A glint of gold drew the Sexta's trained eye to a thin circlet around the strawberry's brow. It was delicate, with runic style designs carved gracefully into the soft metal, but was in no way feminine. If anything the new symbol of the hybrid's station made him more masculine than he was already. He had his hands at his sides, but the glint of metal told Grimmjow that his berry was just as bejeweled as he was himself. Above all else though, a certain pride, a measure of determination, and the flare of harder than diamond resolve colored the tightly bound reiatsu that surrounded the new Imperial Prince. All in all, Grimmjow surmised, it was impossible to NOT believe that Kurosaki Ichigo was the heir to the Throne of the Four Worlds.

The rest of their journey passed in silence with only one small pause where two servants, again one Shinigami, one Hollow, emerged to help the new prince with his waraji. Similar modified sandals were placed on Grimmjow's paws. He wanted to fight the process, but a glance at Ichigo quelled any thought of causing trouble. It wasn't that he was afraid or that he wanted to be subservient, honest! He just thought that the berry had enough on his plate at the moment without causing more trouble. Yeah, that was it.

Then they were stepping through the Senkaimon and before the Sexta even really was aware of it, they were standing in the middle of Seireitei. The blunette was immediately on guard, tail lashing behind him, ears lowered in defense, and claws at the ready. He didn't even know where Pantera was at the moment, other than pleasantly pacing in the back of his mind. It made the fur along his spine bristle and he had to fight to keep from baring his teeth and spitting at the sea of black shihakusho that appeared out of nowhere around the three travelers.

A wave of calming reiatsu washed over his senses, and his cerulean eyes snapped instantly to the back of Ichigo's head. The scent was the same, the feel was the same, but he'd never been this affected by the hybrid's presence before. Perhaps it was the mating? He couldn't tell, but he thought he might have sensed some of his own reiatsu embedded in the berry's neck. All in all, it wasn't enough to make his tail stop lashing, but he could feel his fur settle, and his claws stopped threatening to flex out.

His attention was brought back to his surroundings when the sakura scent he'd first encountered when he returned to the Living World what felt like so long ago approached his berry and their royal guide. The tall brunette was flanked by the white-haired midget and that blonde Visored, Shin-something or other. He knew their scents better than their names: Sakura, Fresh Snow, and Popped Corn.

Sakura greeted the royal guard captain, who smelled like old books, with familiarity and the bone structure made Grimmjow's ear twitch in contemplation. Ichigo's quiet tenor answered his thoughts, "Ginrei-san is Byakuya's grandfather."

Byakuya, Sakura, turned then and greeted Ichigo formally, "Kurosaki-sama. We were not expecting you for several days. Central 46 has yet to even address the proposal you brought forth yesterday."

"That is fine, Byakuya. They no longer need to concern themselves with it. We are here to set the matter to rest once and for all." The Prince stepped forward, all traces of the vulnerable young man from the rooftop of the Visored warehouse completely gone in front of members of his Pride. Placing his hands within the wide sleeves of his kimono, his back ramrod straight, and his head held so that he ever so slightly looked down his nose, even at those taller than himself, he addressed the others in front of him, "Shinji, gather the Half-Hollows. All of them and bring them here. Yes, even Nnoitra, Gin and Tousen. Toshiro, announce Our arrival to Yamamoto. He will greet Us here."

The two left on their respective missions with a slight bow and quiet, "Hai, Kurosaki-sama."

"Byakuya, as We have not yet broken Our fast, please summon tea and something to help Us pass the time until Yamamoto sees fit to arrive. We are certain you and your grandfather have matters you need to discuss. As such We would prefer to do so in comfort rather than standing here."

Every word that silken voice spoke was like a delicate hand drawn down Grimmjow's spine. The last vestiges of his apprehension faded, and he almost purred, the tip of his tail waving in contentment.


	9. Oh Dear Me

Long, sword-worn fingers drew over the gold emblem of the leather bound vellum paged book. A sword, obviously a Zanpakutou, through a rounded raised heart, nestled between two hands, one was Human, one was not. His beloved traced the dips and curves of the design with his fingertips, as if feeling every detail would impart the knowledge contained within such that he would not have to open the covers. His stomach clenched, and he reflexively swallowed. His piercing blue eyes locked on the symbols for the Four Worlds in his soulmate's hands. The blade was the Soul Society, the hands—Hell on the left and the Living World on the right, and in the middle of it all the desert of lost hearts—Hueco Mundo. There was more to this, he could feel it.

"Just open it already, Kitten." His voice broke through the other's reverie. He tried to be gentle, but the uncertainty in those now permanently gold eyes made him frown. "Ya got what ya wanted right? Old Books said that with Soul Society agreeing to the demands ya made about the half-Hollow rights and my—uh—yanno…" He trailed off, still not comfortable with officially holding the title of King of Hueco Mundo.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, Grimm. I just…" The prince trailed off too. His new powers were quickly becoming something worth fearing, the worlds were lining up to follow him, and he'd traveled to the Spirit Dimension to train for the Royal Trials. This book was supposed to help with that, but something told him that it would stand everything on its head again.

This was another side effect of the changes. They didn't need words to communicate anymore. Each other's thoughts seemed to just appear into their heads unbidden. Not words as such, but thoughts, ideas, feelings—carried across the space between them as though they were of one mind.

The orangette took a deep breath, and cracked the book. At first the pages were blank from where Grimmjow could see them. Then, as though brought about by their thoughts, words began to scrawl across the vellum.

_The mood in the Central 46 was heavy and expectant. Two days prior, and exactly one month since the Ryoka boy from the Living World had demanded that the laws regarding the treatment and acceptance of what he called 'Half-Hollows' be changed, news from the Spirit Realm had thrown the gathered members into chaos. Such a state had not been seen in Soul Society since the murder of the previous Central 46 ten years prior. This meeting had been called because the same messenger from the Spirit Realm had informed Central's High Chancellor that an official envoy from the Royal Palace would arrive to announce the coronation of the new Imperial Prince. It was for this envoy that the 46 men and women who had been chosen to govern the day to day activities of the Soul Society waited._

_The senate room had been rearranged to allow for the captains of the Gotei 13 and the heads of the noble houses so witness the announcement from either side of the door at the top of the stairs. The tables where the Central members gathered each day were moved into a U-shape, creating an open floor where a speaker could present his or her views without ever putting his or her back to any other member, but at the same time no one had their back to the door either. This was to prevent another massacre. It was a wonderful design because ordinarily not a single person was crowded in their seat—except for today._

_As the tension grew to Menos sized proportions the doors opened at the top of the hall. The captain of the Royal Guard, flanked by two others equally as decorated, stepped inside and cleared his throat. When all eyes turned to him, Kuchiki Ginrei spoke, "Esteemed members of Central 46, Yamamoto-Sotaicho and revered Captains of the Gotei 13, cherished Lords and Ladies of the noble houses, it is my humblest honor to present, His Imperial Highness Kurosaki Ichigo."_

The page cleared. "Well, that was interesting." Grimmjow's eyebrow twitched. That had been almost two weeks ago, and this was the first time the Prince had gathered the courage to actually open the book.

Ichigo paled. 'His Imperial Highness…' He swallowed—hard. "I—" His gold eyes wide and the fear growing as he met the blue-haired panther's gaze.

"Hey! Hey! Kitten, relax!" It must have just hit him. A month late, but the king of Hueco Mundo wasn't surprised. Being told he was next Spirit King was something that had to have thrown him for a loop. For Kami's sake, the kid was still technically only 27 in Human terms. Sure he'd done all of the things he'd done; save the Soul Society and the Living World too many times to mention; and single-handedly helped revolutionize how souls existed after death, but that didn't change the fact that he was still so young. Even Grimmjow had centuries on the kid.

The orangette was almost hyperventilating now. "I can't do this! I can't be the Soul King! I'm Human damnit! Grimm! I can't do this! I could barely protect my family as it was! Then the Visoreds and the Shinigami! And the Espada! How?! How can I protect everyone!? I'm just one person!" He was up and pacing.

"Kitten." The Consort tried to break through. "Kitten!" Another pass with flailing arms and shouted doubts. "KITTEN!"

"WHAT?!" Gold eyes whirled on him.

"Relax. Why don't we go visit your Pride? You always feel better with a few of your pets around." It bothered the panther a little bit that he wasn't enough to keep his King stable, but he accepted it as part of being mated to the most powerful being in the four worlds. If Ichigo was the type that could be kept healthy with one person, he wouldn't be Spirit King.

Long boned hands scrubbed over the orangette's face and he took a deep breath. "Alright. We can check on how they're settling in. I still don't like that they're spread out across the three worlds, but I guess there isn't much we can do about it."

"Hueco Mundo first then? Since Spider Legs and Lazy Ass should have Los Noches set up by now." At his King's nod, Grimmjow ripped open a Garganta.

The pair stepped into the throne room of Aizen's former base. They were impressive. Ichigo dressed in his royal livery, complete with gold circlet just under his bangs, and Grimmjow in similar fine silk hakama and ornate collar with turquoise gems. And their reiatsu was enough to flatten even the strongest of Hollows should they need to.

"Ah, Kurosaki-dono! Welcome to Los Noches!" the Primera approached them, looking more awake than usual.

Instantly Grimmjow's stomach sank because he knew something was wrong if the normally lazy Arrancar was alert. "What's wrong, Starrk?" He growled.

"We seem to be under attack." The brunette looked off to the side, uncomfortable that both his King and Emperor were here at just this moment.

To underline what he'd told them the walls groaned and shuddered as something exploded on the outer wall. Construction had redesigned the place to be more in the style of a traditional castle than the mutated laboratory it had been under Aizen. The outer most wall was connected by bridges to the central building, but most of what had been under false sky before was now open to the moonlight, which was the way Hollows preferred it.

Sighing Ichigo led the trio to the edge of the wall nearest to the explosion by way of one of the bridges. At the base of it a group of black clothed figures were launching kido at the white stone. The orangette twitched and his hands clenched the edge of the wall. His reiatsu rose without him saying anything and the rogue Shinigami below him froze, paralyzed by the feeling. They looked up as one into his smoldering glare. Just by himself, the Imperial Prince was intimidating, but at the moment he was flanked by the King and Viceroy of Hueco Mundo.

"I don't even care what you think you're doing. Don't move from that spot." His voice wasn't raised, but it carried down to the assaulting group anyway. He turned from the sight and began to walk back inside. "Starrk, get Ulquiorra. Grimm, we're going to Soul Society." The orders came naturally, the blunette noted, but his King didn't seem to notice.

The Primera was back with the Quatro in the blink of an eye, joining the King and Prince in the courtyard of the castle. Someone had brought the offending Shinigami, all nameless and without any symbols to indicate their division, inside the wall in kido handcuffs. Ichigo noted the efficiency, as all were without their Zanpakutous as well.

"Your Numeros is well trained, General." The orangette complimented when the emerald-eyed Arrancar approached the group.

He bowed deeply, "My humblest thanks, Denka." His uniform hadn't changed much, but across the front of his jacket now hung four lines of emeralds set in silver, matching Grimmjow's turquoise. He also wore cuffs of the same silver set with emeralds on his wrists. Both were symbols of his status as General of Hueco Mundo's army; yet another thing Aizen had abolished during his reign.

"How goes things with Orihime?" A small smile twitching the corner of the Prince's mouth.

Ulquiorra flushed as he straightened. "Very well, Denka. She has settled in well to her new chambers here. We both thank you for allowing us this chance. Aizen-sama was restrictive regarding emotional attachments."

Ichigo waved his hand dismissively. "Give her my love." Then he turned to Starrk. "Is the Senkaimon ready?"

The Primera was now dressed in his own status symbols. His coat resembled his release form, with grey fur on the collar and cuffs, but the front was lined with aquamarine stones instead of its regular buttons. He word tailored black pants and with the change in leadership had forgone forcing his Zanpakutou into katana form. It now hung in a pair of silver-decorated pistols at his hips, easy to draw and use in the same way as his release, but without having to sacrifice Lilinette for it. He bowed, "Yes, Denka."

"Good, when we return promise me you'll take some time and spend it with the cubs." The Prince seemed to know everything so the brunette simply nodded smiling.

Then they were in Soul Society, sending the members of Central into a tizzy and scaring the Stealth Force because they were unannounced; for some reason the Shinigami assumed that danger was around every corner when the Royals left the Spirit Dimension. Ichigo sighed as messengers scrambled almost faster than the Hell Butterflies. The look of disdain on his face almost broke Grimmjow's composure.

"Ulquiorra, take the prisoners to a holding cell at the Sixth. Byakuya will know why. Then you and he join us at the First. Starrk, please inform Central of the real reason for our visit. They will want to convene on the matter of the rogues. Grimm, go to Yama-jii and do the same. I will join you all after I check in on the Visoreds. If there are problems in Hueco Mundo, I'm sure there are problems here." The orangette rolled his eyes and moved off in a confident stride toward the first district of the Runkongai, where the Visoreds who chose to live in Soul Society had set up homes. He knew the others would do what he'd asked without needing to stick around to watch.

Grimmjow shook his head. He didn't like the idea of Ichigo going off alone, but if the show in Los Noches had been any indication, the doubts that plagued his beloved only existed in his own mind. As Starrk and Ulquiorra left on their missions, he took to the rooftops to avoid having to work his way through too many Shinigami. He may not strictly be a Hollow anymore, as Consort to the Imperial Prince, but the nitwits that didn't hold seats in the divisions didn't seem to fully grasp that idea. So the fewer to try his patience the better.

He dropped down to the ground again upon reaching the doors of the First. Drawing himself up to his full six and a half feet, and lashing his tail behind him, he glared down his sensitive nose at the doorman. "Tell yer boss the Prince wants ta see him." He should be more formal, but that would've required that he actually respect the trash that were most Shinigami, and the day he respected trash was the day he cut off his own tail and turned in his sword.

The worm scrambled away, and a few moments later the First's vice-captain arrive. "Grimmjow-sama." He bowed. "Right this way. Yamamoto-Sotaicho will be glad to meet with you."

He was led into the general's office, where the old man was working with some papers. "To what do we owe the honor of your visit, Grimmjow-Hidenka?" There was sarcasm skillfully woven into the old man's tone, but that was fine. The former Sexta didn't really care too much for the old man either.

"Some o' yer Shinigami were causin' trouble where they don't belong, Jiisan." The blunette used the same edge of sarcasm. "Wasn't their lucky day though. We happened ta be makin' a visit at the time that they were tryin' ta take down the wall. Figure if it weren't fer my Kitten bein' there you'd be down by about—oh, a dozen Shinigamis." He grinned, displaying his sharpened teeth in more of a threat than a smile.

"Bring the offenders to me and I will see to it that they are suitably punished for their actions. We do not wish to cause an inter-worldly incident." Yamamoto tried not to sigh. Many of the younger Shinigami, who had not participated in the fight against Aizen or the complicated clean up that had been the first several years after the dictator's fall, were over eager regarding purifying Hollows. And now, with the new laws regarding jurisdiction of where Hollows had to be in order for Shinigami to be allowed to purify them, many of the non-seated officers were champing at the bit, itching to kill regardless of the cost. It was something he'd been trying to curtail since the official announcement of Ichigo's coronation.

At that moment the door exploded off of its hinges. "YAMAMOTO!" Came the growled voice of the panther's beloved, and oh was he pissed.

"Kurosaki-Denka." The old man weathered the lashing waves of reiatsu that alternately burned, froze, stung, and pressed heavily against him.

"Why are Our Pride members living in squalor!?" He was using the Royal duplicity; it shot Grimmjow's eyebrows up into his bangs. Just how bad was it?

"The half-Hollows have been given the same treatment as any other soul not associated with the Shinigami." It grew harder for the old man to hold his eyes open against the Imperial reiatsu.

Visibly shaking, Ichigo closed his eyes, trying desperately to reign in his massive power before he killed someone. "We thought We made Ourselves perfectly clear, Sotaicho." He drew a deep breath, and his eyes lit up for a moment. "Come with Us, Yamamoto. Once again, We must address the Central 46." He stormed out of the First as violently as he entered, drawing the attention of the rest of the captains.

At the Central building, the aged members shivered in their seats as the storm of anger quickly approached them. Several whimpered unconsciously, and all froze, holding their breath, when the doors blew open to slam against the walls. He stood bathed in light and wind whipping around him borne of his unrestrained power. He stalked down the steps, Starrk, who had been refused entrance to the meeting chamber, on his left shoulder, and Grimmjow on his right. Ulquiorra was behind them both, having flashed to his Emperor's side the moment he'd felt the anger. After the foursome came the captains of the Gotei 13. Something major was going down, and not a single one of them want to miss it.

"High Chancellor, why are We forced to come here in person to have Our concerns addressed?" The orangette descended the stairs with the air of absolute control that most predators held. Even the heads of nobility had nothing on the way the Imperial Prince carried himself. The long-haired elder could do nothing but gape. So Ichigo waved him off, "Nevermind. We are here, and as such We will address it Ourselves. The Half-Hollows are still being treated abhorrently. Those living here in the Soul Society are living in abject poverty. Those in Hueco Mundo are being assaulted by rogue Shinigami out to make a name for themselves. Has this council lost its control on the Seireitei? Shall We appoint Our own representatives to ensure that Our wishes are carried out? Do We need to invoke Royal Privilege in this matter?" The anger burned under the surface, simmering just outside of painful, making all of his gathered targets squirm uncomfortably.

"K-Kurosaki-Denka! W-we don't know what you're referring to!" The High Chancellor panted. "We have given the half-Hollows here the same living conditions as any soul outside of Seireitei. As for the rogue group of Shinigami, I swear we knew nothing about it. Yamamoto-Sotaicho is in charge of controlling the Shinigami. We assume that if he doesn't make a report of it that everything is running smoothly! Honest!"

"That's bullshit!" The voice of the Sixth's vice-captain broke through the crowd. Apparently other Shinigami had followed their captains.

"Oh?" Ichigo turned to scan the crowd at the door for his friend.

The redhead pushed his way through to the front, most standing out of the way. The few who did not, Ulquiorra and Starrk, merely parted to allow Renji to stand alongside them. Gesturing vehemently to the council, he shouted, "They won't even give Hirako-Taicho and the others captain's quarters at their divisions! And the Sotaicho has reported dissent among the lower ranked Shinigami after every captains' meeting!"

Gold eyes swung back around and pinned the High Chancellor with a glare. The air tingled for a moment, and Grimmjow recognized the pulse of the special World Step that only Ichigo could perform. He stepped up to take his beloved's hand, as the baritone voice that had power over most of the Shinigami and all of the Espada spoke, "Fix it. You have one month, during which General Ulquiorra will remain here to aide Yamamoto-Sotaicho in dealing with the rogue Shinigami. When We return after that time, We expect the living conditions of the half-Hollows both here and in Hueco Mundo to have been improved, or We will take matters into Our own hands. Have We made Ourselves clear, High Chancellor?"

He didn't wait for an answer, merely Stepped them back to the Spirit Dimension, where he could let loose the built up reiatsu he'd been holding back. "ARGH!" He roared, the paintings of tranquil scenes hanging on the walls of their sitting room rattled, and in the doorway Ginrei merely blinked, having been aware immediately of their return. The stoic captain was unfazed by his temperamental Prince.

The blue-haired Consort flopped back into a pile of pillows that he'd arranged next to the fireplace with a huff. The trip hadn't been more than an hour or so including travel time, but he definitely could use a cat nap. Maybe it had something to do with being the primary buffer between the Royal Reiatsu and the rest of the universe, but he was bushed. He was pleased though. If his Kitten's pacing and aggravation was any indication, the nerves from before were gone.

"Heh." The blunette couldn't stop the sound of satisfaction from escaping his lips.

"And what has you so entertained over there?" The Prince whirled on him.

Cracking an eye he hadn't realized falling closed, cerulean sparkled up at Ichigo. "Just that ya were all worried about bein' able to handle bein' the King, an' yet, ya stepped up as soon as a problem showed up, handled the situation wi'out battin' an eyelash, an' settled ev'rything fairly I think."

The orangette's pacing was brought up short, and he looked shocked. "Heh. You're right." He rubbed the back of his head, and a smile spread the corners of his mouth. "I guess that's why you've always been the Consort, huh?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "I dunno. I can't remember mah past lives any more than ya can, but maybe." His eyes caught sight of the book again. "Think we should sit down and read a bit more? Maybe git some idea of what ya gotta face in the next month?"

"Yeah." Ichigo sighed, grabbed the book, and plopped down ungracefully into Grimmjow's lap. He leaned back against the strong feline with a contented smile. Then he hit his head on the jewels decorating the collar around the blunette's neck. He sat up and glared at it until a chuckle burbled out of the figure under him.

"I hate 'em too, but they won't let me leave the bathroom in the mornin' 'til I'm decked out like a trophy." The King of Hueco Mundo reached up and removed the complicated collar, revealing the toned planes of his chest.

The Prince nodded once and leaned back again, this time comfortably cradled by the warmth and security of the one person in four worlds who'd captured his heart. It didn't matter that it had taken ten years for them to be together, or that things were still up in the air, or that unspeakable troubles loomed on the horizon. All that mattered was the fact that evidently in all of Grimmjow's lifetimes, he had always been the one person to balance out the fiery orangette, to bring him peace and safety. So with those thoughts in mind, he cracked the book again. A small flare of gold light neither had noticed before flashed up from the pages, and words appeared for the pair to read:

_"My dear Ichigo;  
_

_As this will be the last entry I have the power and energy to create, by the time you read this, I will have Faded completely. I'm sure the first thing you notice is that I am speaking to you one-on-one. In here, I am not the Spirit King, I am just a man who has walked this road before you. I cannot give you much, but I hope that these words will help you in the month to come..."_


	10. Jigoku no Meiro

_"…The first of the Trials, my boy, will be a test of your mind. I cannot tell you exactly what you'll face, but expect the unexpected, keep your wits about you, and be confident that you'll make it through. I have faith in you, Ichigo…"_

The words of the previous King running through his head, the incumbent Prince dodged the latest trap he'd triggered. "Shit!" He swore, as a spear large enough to split him in two flew through the air where his head had been seconds ago.

Now laid flat on the ground, the orangette surveyed the walls to either side of his body. Smooth, red bricks that glistened in the near constant twilight of the sky like they were wet. The floor was similar, and the hallway he was in the middle of seemed to stretch on forever in both directions. Logically he knew it wouldn't, but he wasn't totally sure logic prevailed in this world.

The clouds above him were a sickly greenish-purple, and lightning flashed momentarily casting the entire scene in brilliant blue-white. The sky beyond was a perpetual gradient of navy into bloody orange at the horizon, which he couldn't see at the moment thanks to the walls around him. It was disorienting the same way that Hueco Mundo was. He could have been in this maze for hours or days; he no longer knew. When was the last time he'd turned? Before the poison darts or after the swinging scythe?

He sat up gingerly, wary for a second spear as the traps lately had a habit of doing that, and looked around again. Just up ahead—or was it behind?—was a turn to the left. Left was forward, right? GAH! He held his head, beginning to feel the strain of constantly second guessing his choices. Damn this maze! Damn this dimension! Heh, there's irony. Being careful of the button he'd stepped on that triggered the spear, he stood and began walking toward the turn.

He didn't dare run his hand along the wall. The last time he'd done that he'd gotten stuck. The tingling on the palm of his hand reminded him of the fact that he had to leave some of his skin behind in removing the thing. His rear end hurt too. That was from dodging the first set of poison darts, and by Kami he was sweating. Whoever came up with the idea that Hell should be hot had won a special place on Ichigo's Must Kill list.

"Giving up already, Prince?" The disembodied voice that had haunted him from the moment he stepped into the maze broke through his reverie as he contemplated turning left or staying straight.

"No!" He growled, and glared up at the sky.

He didn't know why, but it felt like that's where the voice was coming from. So he glared his deepest scowl and set off down the perpendicular hallway. Almost immediately he began to regret his decision as darkness settled over his vision. He froze. He was still aware, so that meant he hadn't passed out, but he'd thought the maze was open to the air, so how could there be darkness pervading the hallway? He turned around but the light never came back. Growling in frustration, he turned around again and strode angrily forward.

"Ah. Ah. Ah. Tackling the puzzles of the maze with your temper won't get you very far." The voice was grating on his nerves, but he couldn't help the feeling that he knew it; deep and slow, rumbling like distant thunder.

"Hmph." He stilled again, this time to breathe, because as irritating as it was, the voice was right. He wouldn't be able to get through the maze if he was angry. He'd make mistakes and the implication was that if he failed he'd be trapped in Hell. Once his mind was clear again he stepped forward, all of his other senses on high alert now that he'd been rendered blind by the darkness.

He was vaguely reminded of the training he'd been put through under the Fullbringer, Ginjou, and it helped to keep his focus on his ears and his feet. Twice he felt a breeze that could have meant other openings to the right, but having decided that left was forward, Ichigo ignored them.

Again time seemed to fall away and he had no idea how long he walked in darkness before an opening to left caught his attention. At least there was nothing on the floor to have been triggered, but turning into the new hallway brought no relief from the darkness. In fact it seemed to have gotten worse.

From a secluded viewing gallery above the maze Grimmjow and Ginrei watched Ichigo make his way through the maze. The panther sucked in his breath as his Kitten tripped over a wire, landing palms first into a sand pit. There were blades in the sand and if he wasn't careful he'd lose his hands to lacerations in the peachy flesh. The orangette sliced the center of one hand before he got out of the pit. From this perspective there was no darkness, but the observers could tell their target was still dealing with it.

"Do ya have ta—" He broke off, knowing instinctively that the Lord of Hell wouldn't answer.

The giant of a man sat back in an impressive throne, his large hands resting on the arms of the chair, and his wavy brown hair falling over one eye. A crown of bones perched on his head. His left arm was encased in red and black. His right, in red and white. Incongruent to his noble appearance he wore a Hawaiian shirt and jeans, having discovered an affinity for the clothing during his stay in the Living World. He sighed, "Be a bit more careful there, Highness. Losing too much blood in there could be just as dangerous as losing your temper. We wouldn't want you to run across any of my hounds, now would we?"

The panther shook his head, growling lowly in spite of the sympathetic looks he received from both Ginrei and the Lord of Hell. He muttered, "C'mon, Kitten, ya c'n do it."

Now free of the sand, Ichigo sat himself against the wall, without touching the sticky surface, to clean the wound on his right palm. He hissed at the pain, and tried to control his breathing. To sum it up, this sucked! He was still without vision, and now he was going to be distracted by his hand, unable to use it.

Groaning, he used his left to push himself back up to standing; his legs were getting tired too, which could only have meant days of walking. He sighed, cradling his right hand to his chest, and set off down the hallway again. Another ten to twenty steps and he felt the button under his foot sink into the floor. He cursed and strained his ears to hear the whatever it was that could be coming. As such he was entirely focused on listening, so when the sound of a bomb hit him, he screamed.

His hands flew to his ears, and he fell to his knees, paralyzed by the sound. Then it disappeared—completely. He couldn't even hear the air around him. His eyes went wide, not that he could see anything but he could feel the muscles move. He was deaf! The feeling of something wet on his fingers told him that his eardrums had been ruptured by the sound. He screamed again, panting and he could feel tears on his cheeks. No one told him if the damage he sustained here was permanent, but he could only guess that if he failed it would be.

It was that thought alone that got him back on his feet. To never be able to hear the velvet purring his Consort used to comfort him when things got to be overwhelming was a cold and sharp stab through his heart. It spurred him onward, one step, then another, then a third. Then he was running in a blind panic. He didn't care if it wasn't intelligent to crash through a maze both blind and deaf, let alone in the Hell dimension.

It took—however long it took—before his mind came back to him. He was out of breath, panting heavily. After several minutes of panting he realized the air was heavy around him. Frowning he lifted his nose and inhaled deeply. What was that?! Mint? He knew that scent! Grimmjow! He took off like a shot, just as fast, but more carefully, regularly raising his nose to the air and inhaling. Come on, keep it up, just a little bit more.

Up in the observation room, the panther paced back and forth in front of the glass. His tail lashed. "Deaf! Ya had ta make him deaf?!" He yelled for the fourth time since the explosion.

Now that the Prince couldn't hear, the Lord of Hell was free to speak, "You know I have to bring out his inner desperation. This pains me as much as it pains you, Grimmjow. He has to fully experience what life is like here, otherwise he could become jaded in the act of judging souls. No one should be sentenced to Hell unless they truly deserve it."

"I know all that!" The blunette huffed and leaned against the reiatsu wall shielding them from the maze. The only good news was that with whatever it was that was directing Ichigo in the maze, the orangette was making good progress. A few more twists and turns and he'd be out of the maze. The worst part was yet to come though, because the last turn before the end was a four-way intersection, and three of the pathways led back into the center of the maze. This knowledge let the panther relax. He sat cross-legged at the glass and sighed, his tail stilling all but the very tip.

Time was running out, Ichigo didn't know how he could tell, but he felt it pressing down on him like a weight on his back. He still couldn't see, couldn't hear, and his hands were useless—his left covered in torn skin from resting it against the wall, his right slashed open by the blades in the sand pit. His legs shook, but he pressed forward, following that heavenly scent. Suddenly he realized why Grimmjow always described people by how they smelled.

He came to an intersection. The first one since he lost his sight. The breeze against his cheeks told him there were three possibilities. Logic told him that the wrong choice would lead him back. He walked carefully out into the center of the cross, and looked from side to side. He raised his nose and breathed, but nothing. The scent was gone!

He cried out in frustration. He was sure he was close. Only twice before had he come upon intersections like this. Once shortly after he'd entered the maze, and once in the very middle of it. The first time, every turn after it had been right to move forward, left to go back. After the second, they reversed. Left was forward and right was back. So, again logically going straight should take him out of the maze, but logic didn't rule here. So, did that mean going back was going forward? AUGH! Why couldn't he smell it anymore? Why couldn't he smell anything anymore? He was so close to the end of this madness.

That was the point, wasn't it? This was madness. Designed to deliberately push him to the ends of his sanity. He had to prove he understood how horrible it was, didn't he? So, blind, deaf, unable to feel, and now, no longer to smell his Consort's reiatsu, he stood and began walking, slowly, toward the direction from which he'd come. If this was about throwing caution to the wind and accepting that everything sucks, then he'd do just that. If he wound up walking the maze for the rest of eternity, stripped of his senses, he would, but maybe, just maybe, he'd find his way back out again. As soon as he made that decision he began to feel the breeze on his cheeks again. Another ten steps brought an itchy feeling to his hands and flexing them he felt his wounds cleaning themselves and disappearing. Ten more steps and a low rushing sound broke through the silence that had tormented him since the explosion. Inwardly rejoicing he kept walking, deliberately ignoring the way things seemed to be looking up in the hopes that continuing to allow the maze to do what it wanted to him he'd escape. The end of that thought brought a return of light to his vision. Gradually he began to make out the walls and floor of the maze around him. Just as he could see the clouds above again, the walls ended, and he was standing in the middle of an open courtyard. In the middle was his Zanpakutou, stabbed into the ground.

He grabbed the bandage-wrapped hilt, and in the rush of reconnecting with the spirits that lived in his mindscape he missed the change of landscape around him. A flash of light and he was joined by those in the observation box.

"Ichigo!" Grimmjow wrapped his King in his arms, purring heavily, praying that his hearing had been returned.

"Oh Grimm!" He buried his nose in the blue hair at the base of his Consort's conical ear inhaling deeply of that minty scent that had been his guiding light.

The rumbling disembodied voice broke their reunion. "Well done, Ichigo." A very familiar face smiled down at him.

"Chado!?" The orangette was floored. Wasn't his friend Human? And if he was here, who was going to protect his family in the Living World? Ishida?! Ha! "What are you doing here?!"

A smile broke across the giant's face. "I've always been the Lord of Hell, Ichigo, but unlike the Spirit King I'm allowed to keep tabs on the heir to the throne as he grows up."

Ichigo's mind was blown. His best friend—well, that probably meant that they'd been best friends for millennia. "So? You've always been the Lord of Hell? Like, forever?"

"Yeah." Sado was still smiling that 'I've got your back' smile that had been the cement between them all those years ago. "You've fought for me and I've fought for you since before time was even called time."

It was a lot to take in, but somehow it seemed to make sense. The ease with which the two had partnered up. The way Sado could always keep up with him, even after he'd obtained Shinigami powers. The smirk on the Prince's face broke out into a grin. This was awesome! Then he stumbled and leaned back against Grimmjow's chest.

Ginrei spoke up, "Your Lordship, I need to take His Highness back to the Spirit Dimension in preparation for the second trial." He bowed lowly.

"Right. See ya, Ichigo." His normal silence was back now that he wasn't trying to spur his best friend on through the maze.

Grimmjow nodded, and Ichigo concentrated on the World Step that he used for a quick return to his quarters in the Royal Palace. The three of them were gone with a wave, and the Lord of Hell smiled. Yes, his friend was definitely going to make it through. He wasn't even concerned about the third trial, where many an incarnation had failed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not seen the Bleach movie where Ichi goes to Hell, and I don't count the movies in any of my head cannons. So I described what I see as could be a Hell Dimension. Hope you liked it. Ja ne, minna!


	11. Ishi no Chikara - Round 1

Ichigo ran down the field, laughing and balancing the ball between his feet. He looked over his shoulder at Karin and Toshiro. Both were glaring at him, chasing him down with the determination to take the ball back. He gave another laugh, feinted to the left making Toshiro dive to the grass and sped back toward the right without seeing Karin barreling down on him. She snaked the ball from him, tripping him up. He crashed to the grass and Kon landed on top of him.

"…." Kon yelled, but the hybrid couldn't make it out.

He frowned, "What?" He couldn't really hear his own voice either.

Kon gave him a smack he didn't feel and yelled again. Just barely the orangette heard the word 'kitten'. That was odd, the only one who ever called him that was Grimmjow.

He opened his mouth to say something else and felt like the ground fell out from beneath him. He tumbled through darkness for a moment and landed on a springy firm surface. The impact brought a sound from his mouth and his eyes popped open to stare up into the icy blue cerulean of his Consort.

"Morning, Kitten." The panther smiled.

"Ugh." Ichigo groaned, and rolled over. Looking around he came back to himself. That's right, Spirit King, Trials, royalty and all that nonsense. He sighed, missing soccer because of his dream. Clawed hands ran through his hair and he closed his eyes to lean into the touch. "Mmm. How long was I out?"

"About two days." Grimmjow rumbled, nuzzling the back of his King's neck.

"You have approximately seventeen days until the third Trial. I would suggest, Denka, that we prepare you for travel to the staging of the second Trial. You will need all the time you can manage to complete this one." Ginrei entered the Prince's bedroom carrying his old shihakusho.

"This is the physical test, right?" Ichigo frowned at his old robes. He had gotten used to the more tailored clothing that was traditional for the Spirit King to wear. It was closer to the level of tightness he preferred in his human clothes. He sighed. "I suppose I should get changed then."

It would feel good to heft Zangetsu again. Even the Pain would be happy for a while, though he was grateful that the white copy had been gracious enough to be silent since their reunion after the first Trial. Donning the hakama, shitagi, and kosode was easy enough, and reaching out with his right hand, he gripped the air. Zangetsu's Shikai appeared in his palm, materializing from nothing in both directions until the light shined off the tip of the wicked butcher knife and the bandage off the hilt flapped in a non-existent breeze. All in all, except for the circlet of gold peeking out under his bangs, the Prince looked just as he had the first time he'd pulled the old man from the white box in his mindscape.

"Let's do this." He smirked, and received Grimmjow's feral grin in response. He gave a nod and stepped through the Royal Senkaimon.

"…The test of strength is also one of endurance. Expect to be pushed to your very limits and beyond. A wise old man once told me: Face forward, Ichigo…cast off your fear! Look forward! Go forward! Never stand still. Retreat and you will age. Hesitate and you will die. Heed those words, my boy…"

He brought Zangetsu around again to clang harshly against the sabre-style wakizashi with a grunt. Fire burned in his eyes, and the wind from atop the Sokyoku Hill whipped harshly at his orange spikes.

"So serious, Denka-chan?" The ever-smiling eyes of Kyoraku Shunsui flashed over their kissing blades. Ichigo simply gave another non-committal noise and flash stepped back, leveling Zangetsu at the captain.

On the sidelines, Histugaya Toshiro lay with his head cradled by his vice-captain. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his sword arm was broken. His uniform was in tatters and blood stained his hair. Their battle had been short, but vicious. Immediately into Bankai, and after freezing Ichigo's leg and shoulder, the Prince pulled on his mask. That had been the end of it. Hyorinmaru simply couldn't keep up with Masked Tensa Zangetsu. It was rumored that now that Shinsou was out of commission, Zangetsu was the fastest Zanpakutou in the Soul Society. As soon as Toshiro had fallen though, both mask and Bankai had been removed to conserve reiatsu for the rest of the trial. The captain of the Tenth, shifted from watching the almost playful way Shunsui was bating Ichigo to look at the other defeated opponent.

The former Quinto had thought going up against the Prince would be like it had been years ago. They had sparred regularly over the years, but hadn't gone all out like this. He leaned on Santa Teresa, now resealed into her double sickle. His leg was broken, but his inner Hollow was taking care of it. Somehow the orange-haired bastard had sliced his eye-patch off with a portion of his hair. He sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. Feh, at least he was strong. Still going strong after thoroughly kicking both his and the snowflake from the Soul Society to the ground.

"Baka. Pay attention." He was smacked on the back of his head by his mate.

"Woman…" He just didn't have the energy, but he held the arm he wasn't leaning on out straighter so she could finish wrapping it with bandages.

No outside healing was allowed in this dimension, wherever it was, and it shifted both appearance and air quality depending on who was fighting the Prince at the moment. Right now it looked like the big cliff in the Soul Society, but when Nnoitra had been up against the orangette the moon of Hueco Mundo had shone brightly over white sands. No one was quite sure where the edge of the dimension was, but with the Sokyoku Hill as backdrop both the defeated and the waiting contenders were lined up along the edge of the cliff. They hadn't moved, even when the scenery had changed, for fear that if the scenery changed again they'd find themselves sitting on empty air.

A roar brought everyone's attention back to the battlefield, where Ichigo had just called Bankai for a second time. He rushed forward, but Shunsui disappeared into his shadow. Ichigo roared again, whipping around and searching the scarred ground around him from his place in the air. A pressure against his back brought a gold eye around to look over his shoulder. The flapping of a matching shihakusho alerted the orangette to the presence of his opponent. Just as he was about to flash step away, Shunsui's voice stopped him, "I'd stay here if I was you, Denka-chan."

"Why?" He growled.

"Bankai…" The captain smiled, holding his swords in front of him, pommel to pommel, the tassels dangling between them. Below them Jushiro gasped, a hand flying to his mouth as darkness grew in the bright blue sky above. "Kassatsu Katen Kyokotsu." The scimitars shimmered. A large ring of metal grew out of the hilts of the daisho pair with regularly spaced handholds wrapped in the same design as the sabres. The outer edge of the ring was a sharpened blade, and at four places that lined up with the handholds, shuriken shaped protrusions made the whole thing look like a homicidal flower.

Two ropes of darkness broke out of the gathering shadow, and suddenly the gathered onlookers found themselves on their feet with the ropes either in front of or behind them. On Ichigo's side of the cliff, Rukia stood with the rope behind her next to Lilinette, Rangiku, and Hiyori, who all had the rope in front of them. At the end of the line was Grimmjow, standing in front of the rope like Rukia. Across from them, Jushiro and Nanao stood in front of the rope with Halibel, Starrk, and Apacci behind it. With a flash the ends of the ropes fused together creating a circle that framed Jushiro, Rukia, Nanao, Grimmjow, Ichigo and Shunsui, and left the other six as much a part of the circle but on the outside of it. Toshiro and Nnoitra, being injured, appeared to have been spared the game that was the first stage of Shunsui's Bankai.

"Sui-kun, this is dangerous." Jushiro called, looking worried.

"I know, Jyuu-chan." The captain of the Eighth apologized. Ichigo's confusion brought the added, "Ayatori: Yakobu no Hashigo—Jacob's Ladder. Let us try not to get our dear friends tangled? It would drop the rope and end the game badly."

"Suddenly I see why your friend warned you not to release your Bankai, Captain-san." Starrk eyed the ropes with a suspicious glint in his lazy gaze.

The brunette only smiled with the same apology on his face, and the game had begun. Ichigo watched closely, matching Shunsui's movements as they drew Hiyori and Apacci to change sides. This took the ropes in front of Lilinette, Rangiku, Halibel, and Starrk and crossed them, putting two large X's between the two sides.

"Try not to touch the ropes, Denka-chan. I'd hate to have that wonderful agility be cut." The captain called.

"Watch your own, Kyoraku-san." Ichigo responded as the brunette nearly tripped over what he was warning the orangette about.

Shunsui laughed and moved to pull Jushiro through the rope. Ichigo mimicked him with Grimmjow and they were left with two long lines between Hiyori and Apacci, and Rukia and Nanao. In the middle of the field two X's became one. The captain of the Eighth spun around, and it was then that Ichigo noticed their swords had disappeared. He glared, and his opponent laughed again with a dark edge.

"All part of the game. You didn't think the string came out of nowhere, did you?" He gestured and none of the participants had their weapons. "That's what makes this game so dangerous. If we tangle too badly, we won't get our friends back in one piece."

Ichigo's glare darkened significantly. "I agree with Starrk." He growled, moving to direct his Consort to 'pick up' the rope strung between Rukia and Nanao.

Shunsui did the same with Jushiro, and the center of the field shifted so that the two long lines were both on one side of the X and the ropes crossed in front of all but Grimmjow and Jushiro. The next move brought the blunette and the snowtop over to duck under the ends of the X connected to Hiyori and Apacci, but over the long line between them and the X. This made the battlefield heavily roped on one side with a star in the ropes among the four and virtually nothing connected to Halibel, Starrk, Lilinette or Rangiku but the lines of the loops around Rukia and Nanao.

"The Hell are we doin' this for?!" Apacci screamed, trying to flail her arms, but winding up coming too close to a rope. She hissed as the darkness burned her skin.

"Baka!" Hiyori and Rukia called at the same time.

"I don't wanna be doin' this either, but I want my sword back." Hiyori yelled with a glare.

"And you didn't have to come along!" Rukia added. "You had to have been told the same as we were."

"Each contestant of the trial is allowed to choose one person to accompany them into the special dimension." Nanao intoned adjusting her glasses carefully. She'd never personally witnessed this game of her captain's Bankai but it didn't surprise her that he could do it.

Rangiku nodded, "Fighting amongst ourselves won't help." She looked worriedly over at Toshiro, who was leaning on Nnoitra's good side. The two were watching tiredly, or at least the captain of the Tenth looked tired, the Espada-turned-Visored simply glared and called something out that none of them could hear due to the aura of the game.

"I know! Bakamono!" Hiyori could apparently read his lips and rolled her eyes.

"Hey! Stop all yer yammerin' and let's git on with this! Some of us would like ta git home sometime in the near future." Grimmjow added his two cents, and everybody else shut up.

Starrk looked at Halibel, and they both turned to an uncharacteristically quiet Lilinette. Feeling their eyes on her, she mumbled, "I'm worried about the cubs is all. Sung-sun and Mila Rose are nice 'n' all but they're my cubs too, ya know."

"I know." Ichigo joined the conversation for the first time, avoiding the ropes to get as close as he could to the small Arrancar. His next move had Rukia duck out from under her string.

When Nanao was instructed to do the same, the black cord flew toward the four at the other end of the field. Panic crossed Apacci's face, and Jushiro smiled slightly, trying to reassure her. The star was all mangled now, but it didn't stay that way for long. Ichigo and Shunsui were on the move again. This time directing Rukia and Nanao to pick up the second rope from the end, bringing loops back across in front of Starrk, Halibel, Lilinette and Rangiku. Grimmjow and Jushiro both had two ropes behind them, and Hiyori and Apacci had to hold stock still as the new design, a complicated X pattern, encircled the two of them completely; two ropes in front and one behind. The panther and the pale Shinigami ducking out from under their cords brought a tiny amount of relief as the X became more complicated but was only looped around Hiyori, Apacci, Rukia and Nanao. All four held their breath, and stared at Ichigo when he laughed.

"Heh, cat's whiskers." He said.

"Now you're getting into the spirit of things." Shunsui answered with a grin and a sparkle in his eye.

Ichigo grew serious again, "Yeah, but if I remember this pattern correctly, here is where it gets complicated."

"As if it wasn't before, Baka!" Rukia exclaimed, forgetting for a moment that she was addressing both the incoming Spirit King and her Master, because of the look on the orangette's face.

He glared at her and she swallowed nervously. A whispered, "Baka" may have come from either Hiyori or Apacci, she wasn't sure. Grimmjow took her attention though when Ichigo brought him over to duck under her inner string and back to his starting position. Jushiro doing the same with Nanao created a line of three X's framed in the middle of the field stretching between Hiyori, who cursed, and Apacci, who growled. Both were completely wrapped in ropes again.

The blonde Visored and the brunette Arrancar snickered at the same time when their loops were widened by Grimmjow and Jushiro picking up the strings closest to them. This wrapped the panther and his snowy partner up tighter than anyone had been before. A single twitch of his tail and he'd be singed.

"Eh…Kitten?" He felt his ears droop back nervously as the dark lines touched the ends of his whiskers when he twitched his nose. He fought with himself to not jerk around, remembering what the captain of the Eighth had said about not getting tangled, but being this held down was triggering his inner wild animal quickly.

"I know, Grimm, I know. I'm coming." The Prince helped his Consort duck out from under the lowest loop, forming a triangle of space between the blunette and the blonde. "We're almost done."

Shunsui helped Jushiro do the same thing and smiled slightly, "This last part takes some coordination and speed since they can't move on their own. Eh, Denka-chan?"

Ichigo nodded, meeting Grimmjow's eyes warmly. The exchanged sentiments made the air around the field tense as everyone held their breath. The two fighters moved to their respective participants, guiding them into position to step under the ropes between them and the triangles. They met eyes, it would be a race to see who reached the end of the field faster to drop the last loops and complete the figure. The first one there controlled the pace, but release too fast and the whole thing would turn into a mess; a deadly, caustic mess that would steal their swords.

Ichigo let go of Hiyori and bolted for Rukia. The ropes were flying, sailing towards Grimmjow. If Shunsui didn't make it…he watched with dread for the other captain, but something was wrong. He wasn't there and the figure was collapsing too quickly. Making the split second decision, the orangette sped across the field, donning his mask for extra speed, to get Nanao out of her loop. A quick check on Jushiro and Apacci found the ropes in place. The second loop sailed across the field. Fast as ebony lightning racing ink colored clouds, Ichigo grabbed Hiyori and shoved her away from Grimmjow, then flash stepped to do the same with Apacci. Though both girls screamed at being manhandled, the figure came together across the field. A loop around each Grimmjow, Jushiro, Hiyori and Apacci held a weaving of complicated crosses and X's stretched among them.

"Ah, Jacob's Ladder." Ichigo said, a bit out of breath.

He dismissed his mask as the sunlight returned to glint across the ropes. The shape shimmered, and a clattering sound made the gathered participants scramble. Swords without sheaths fell from the ropes as the ebony fibers dissolved back into their normal shape. Grimmjow grinned, holding Pantera in one hand and Zangetsu in the other, once again in Shikai.

"Knew ya could pull it off, Kitten." He rumbled as the orangette gladly took his partner back.

He was getting tired of being separated from his sword. So, he huffed, "It's not over yet. I've got three more opponents to face." He inclined his head toward Starrk, Halibel and Jushiro, who were gathered around a crumpled form on the ground. With some concern Ichigo made his way over to them.

Shunsui smiled as best he could with a huge burn across his cheek. "You've beaten Jacob's Ladder, Denka-chan." He coughed, blood staining his lips. "I got tangled in helping Jyuu-chan. Thank you for saving my lovely Nanao."

The Prince shook his head, "Thank me by conceding, Kyoraku-san." He looked sad.

"Hai. I don't think I could stand another of Katen's wonderful games right now." Shunsui nodded. Jushiro pulled the pink kimono over his partner, and nestled his head in his lap. "It's a good thing, Espada-san's lovely lady is up next. I don't think I could let you have Jyuu-chan right at this moment." His humor was once again cut by the severity of his injuries following what his Zanpakutou classified as a loss. He was lucky that Ichigo had completed the figure. Besides losing all of their swords, and possibly injuring their friends, losing to Katen Kyokotsu generally meant the death of one of the two players in her game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're winding down now. After this one, only 3 more chapters. =D
> 
> Shunsui's Bankai: Kassatsu Katen Kyokotsu – Life or Death Flower Heaven Crazy Bone  
> Inspired by: http://dailyanimeart.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/shunsui-bankai-lineart-by-klnothincomin.png


	12. Ishi no Chikara - Round 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: There's some violence in this chapter.   
> 2: T^T Only 2 chappies after this one! OMG! I can't believe it's almost over. Can you guys believe this was supposed to be a oneshot originally?! XD I mislabeled it as in-progress, but after I saw how much you guys all loved it, I just had to continue it. So, this is all thanks to you guys! This whole plot has been because people have adored it. Thank you all so much. Ja ne, minna!

 

"Ugh!" Blood sprayed from fawn lips, following shards of ivory bone. The blonde owner of those lips collapsed onto her knees, then fell to her hands. As she landed the cannon shape around her right arm exploded in a rush of water to clatter to the sandy ground, once more sealed within its hollowed blade.

Behind her, facing the sand at his feet, the Incumbent Prince closed his eyes. The tip of Zangetsu dripped dark rubies to stain the ground. He was weary, the stress hardening his jaw and popping the veins in his neck. He breathed heavily through his nose and mouth. Dirt smudged his cheek, and a gash on his right bicep left the bronzed flesh tainted in flecking dark brown. The front of his shihakusho was torn open, and he had his ribs wrapped in bandages; at least two of them were broken. He was missing a waraji and his hakama was ragged along the bottom.

Pain crossed his features, "Sorry, Halibel." He had won, but he didn't feel good about it. Depriving a litter of cubs of their mother was something that cut him to the quick, much deeper than any other opponent he'd faced up to this point, and even the fact that it was either her life or his own did nothing to ease the pain. Silently, he prayed that this Trial was like the one in Hell and all of their injuries would be healed when it was over.

Somewhere off to the side, near Shunsui, Starrk and Lilinette were already laid out, though not particularly injured. Unable to stay out of the fight once first blood had been drawn, the green-haired child-like Arrancar had jumped him. He'd brought his sword up to block her but the field had answered instead. Because he was fighting a resident of the Hollow World, the white sands and inky sky prevailed over the battlefield. It was lucky then as a barrier snapped up around the former Tercera and the Prince, flinging Lilinette away with more force than strictly necessary. When the child-like Arrancar smashed into a rock near Nnoitra, Starrk had thrown himself at the barrier in a rage, and received the same response.

"It's illegal for anyone to help anyone else." Grimmjow had sighed. The Viceroy wasn't the only one with a mate inside the barrier.

Now both were unconscious, in spite that the Prince hadn't fought them yet. Ichigo stumbled and the panther leapt to his feet. They were in the homestretch. He couldn't fall now! Only the white-haired captain remained, but he wasn't allowed to go to his King now. The damned shield was in the way!

Ichigo took a step toward Jushiro, who was standing patiently off to the side, and the barrier shifted so that Halibel was outside of it. The scenery shifted, once more becoming the Sokyoku Hill in Seireitei with bright blue skies and puffy white clouds bleeding into the dark like an ink stain in reverse. Apacci rushed in to gather the blonde and brought her carefully over to her mate. The gathered collection of injured and attendants watched with bated breath as the next competitor stepped up to challenge the man who would be King.

Within the barrier, Jushiro gave a sympathetic smile to the one who looked so much like his dearly departed former vice-captain. A casual smile was returned from the orangette, and the battle began. At first, all the opponents did was feel each other out. Swords clashed, Zangetsu swung in from the side, and Sogyo no Kotowari blocked the force over Jushiro's shoulder. Keeping eye contact, the captain of the Thirteenth spun down Ichigo's blade, swinging his still sealed katana around to nick the cheek bone under the Prince's left eye. A single droplet of blood followed the tip of the blade as the gold eyes closed in a time-slowed blink. Everything stopped for a pregnant pause thick enough to feel.

Then time sped up again, reiatsu from both exploded outward faster than the barrier could compensate. It shattered from the inside out, shards of dissolving kido raining down over the onlookers. Within the storm of wind and dust, Ichigo held Zangetsu perpendicular to his body to the front, both hands on the hilt, the bandage whipping over his shoulder where it was wrapped around his exposed bicep. Jushiro had jumped back holding the katana of Sogyo no Kotowari in a similar position.

"Ban…"

"All waves, rise now and become my shield…"

"Kai!"

"Lightning, strike now and become my blade."

A second explosion of reiatsu buffeted the onlookers with mixed reactions. Shunsui smiled. Nanao adjusted her glasses. Hiyori threw herself on top of Nnoitra, who cursed and threw her back to the ground next to him. Toshiro frowned. Rangiku bit her lip. Halibel grabbed Starrk, who stirred at the energy in the air. Apache swore, covering the still unconscious Lilinette. Rukia clasped her hands, though she didn't know who she was worried about more. And Grimmjow grinned. Now things were really going to get started.

Ichigo rushed in, Tensa Zangetsu once more poised in his hands to strike. The sword-breaking prongs of Sogyo no Kotowari's Shikai caught him before he could reach skin. Pulling back with a spin, the orangette winced as his blade shuddered. He already knew better than to throw a Getsuga Tensho at the captain. In preparation for this Trial he'd read up on every captain in the Gotei 13 and listened to Ulquiorra report all of the statistics on the Espada. He hadn't known which he'd face or how many, but he at least knew minimal tidbits of information regarding each person's attack and specialties.

Jushiro's expression was hard now. He still held sadness in his eyes, but as he posed, waiting for Ichigo to attack again, the lines of his body were tense and the air vibrated around him with electricity. The Prince held back, his head cocked slightly, as though listening to a voice none of the others could hear. Around him, an aura of power met the lightning across from him with an immobile wall. He nodded once, and donned his mask with a swipe of his hand.

Then he was moving too fast for the rest to see. How he still had the energy was a good question, but the effects were obvious as the captain of the Thirteenth couldn't move. His haori and kosode were quickly shredded, the attacking orangette simply moving too fast for him to block most of the slices. Eventually, once most of his torso was bared and streaked with shallow cuts, the older Shinigami caught Tensa Zangetsu between Sogyo no Kotowari's sword-breakers again. They met face to face over the crossed blades, a furrowed brow of ebony under fringe of white against the perpetually scowling crimson lines. Green met gold and narrowed perceptively.

"I see." Jushiro said, his mouth in a narrow line. His blades sprang apart, once more releasing Tensa Zangetsu. The energy in the air crackled, sparking along Sogyo no Kotowari's points. "Bankai, Onmyo Sogyo no Kotowari."

Once again the cliff grew dark, but this time because towering storm clouds rolled across the sky from both directions. Portions of black flickered and a rumbling sound gave the impression of a stampede. The two fronts slammed into one another above Jushiro. A crack of thunder accompanied a blinding flash of green-blue-white as lightning struck both points of his swords. The electricity traveled down the blades, making them glow with the same color. The energy whipped the cord and charms between the blades, distorting it out and around, violently pulling at its bonds in the suddenly vicious wind. The amulets glowed as the lightning gathered in their depths and Ichigo was made aware that he had to crane his neck to look up at the captain of the Thirteenth. The white-haired man stood several feet off the ground, suspended by a wave of churning water that was quickly spreading over the battlefield.

A barrier sprang up around them again, this time diverting the water and storm away from the onlookers, much to the attendants' relief. Rukia called something over the wind, but the sound was lost in a crack of thunder. Ichigo took to the sky, standing on thin air as a reflex left over from avoiding thunderstorms and water as a child. His grip tightening on Tensa Zangetsu, and he clenched his teeth. All he needed now was for it to—rain began to splatter against his face, instantly soaking him to the bone.

"YAAAAHH!" He roared and charged the captain, a strange fire burning in his eyes.

Jushiro found the young Prince's attacks more vicious, harder to deflect than before and with a desperate edge that he couldn't understand. Why was he so angry? And was that despair in the edge of his blade?

The orangette was done holding back. His heart couldn't take fighting in this weather. Images of his mother kept flashing in every strike of lightning. It didn't matter what sorts of special attacks Rukia's captain could pull off in this form, Ichigo wasn't to let him use any of them. He screamed over the thunder, and if some of the water on his face wasn't rain, not even Jushiro could tell.

He pushed the snowtop back to the edge of the cliff and pulled back by a fraction of a step. He inhaled deeply, and shouting at the top of his lungs, he summoned his reiatsu. It was time to end this! " **Ge-tsu-ga Ten-sho!** "

The black crescent moon ringed in red flames blew both fighters back when it impacted the lightning charged charms hanging from the elongated strap between Onmyo Sogyo no Kotowari's blades. Jushiro flew off of his wave like a ragdoll, hands reflexively releasing his grip on both hilts. The twin swords fell into the water. Across the field, Ichigo sailed backwards, unconscious from the concussive wave of reiatsu. His face was peaceful in the silence that followed. Both fighters landed with a shower of water and dirt.

On the sidelines the air was tense, watching with worry obvious on every face, even Nnoitra. No one explained what would happen if the Prince lost. The storm began to clear, the clouds losing their color, the wind died down to a gentle breeze and the water drained away like it had never existed. When the sun returned the distance between the fallen fighters was greatly reduced. Sogyo no Kotowari stood, reduced to Shikai, stabbed into the ground between them, the strap flapping gently in the breeze, torn where the center charm had exploded.

Breath was held, fingers gripped cloth, and bodies leaned forward in anticipation, gazes shifting from the crumpled shape in white to the still form in black. The gentle birdsong and ordinary noises of Seireitei seemed to clash with the aftermath of such violence. A choked sob broke the silence, and all eyes turned to Apacci.

The brunette had her face in her hands, "Kurosaki-Denka saved us. It's not fair! Why did he have to do this?!" She glared, unashamed at her tears. Halibel reached a shaky hand out to touch her shoulder but she slapped her away. "It's not fair! Damn it all!" She stormed over to Grimmjow and punched him across the face. "You could've helped him!"

The panther allowed his head to turn with her strike, and didn't right it again after. His eyes closed, and his ears pinned tightly back against his head. His hands clenched into fists so tightly that his biceps shook, rattling the collar of gems across his chest. His tail was still, and held close to his body.

"No, he couldn't, Apacci-san." Rangiku stepped up, sympathy in her voice and eyes. She knew the emotions flickering across both of their faces.

Rukia came up on the other side, only her pride as a Kuchiki keeping her own tears at bay. "You saw what happened to Lilinette-san." The petite Shinigami rested a hand on the Arrancar's arm, and this time the violent cervine didn't pull away.

Nnoitra looked away, holding Hiyori to his chest. Toshiro crossed his arms and glared at the ground in front of him. Shunsui leaned against Nanao's lap, his lip in his teeth, and his gaze kept flickering over the fallen form of his partner. Halibel curled the still unconscious Lilinette into her lap, resting her head on Starrk's shoulder. The Viceroy of Hueco Mundo allowed a broken rock to support the three of them. Rangiku and Rukia drew Apacci into an embrace and guided her to sit near the other Arrancar, but didn't let her go, choosing to stay with her while she dealt with real grief for the first time. For his part, the Spirit King's Consort was frozen, eyes closed, trying to mentally deny having seen his beloved fall. Silence descended again, tense and uneasy, punctuated by the occasional sound of tears from one of the more expressive of the gathered group.

An indeterminate amount of time later, Rukia gasped. Drawing everyone's attention, she pointed with one hand out to the field. There was movement on the battlefield. Jushiro coughed heavy, wet and ragged breaths as he tried to push himself up into a seated position. Shunsui tried to run to him, in spite of his own injuries, but the barrier that held back the water now kept him at bay. The white-haired captain smiled tiredly at his beloved, and succeeded in pulling himself up. From that position the onlookers could see a vicious gash bleeding profusely across his chest. Increased agitation from Shunsui brought a waved hand of reassurance that although it looked bad, he was fine. Trying to stand, however, proved impossible on his own.

Out of nowhere, a hand reached down, offering its support. Looking up, the captain of the Thirteenth was stunned. Ichigo stood, Tensa Zangetsu balanced on his right shoulder, his left hand extended, and a tiny fragment of mask outlined the bone of his left cheek in red and white. All that was left of his haori was the sleeve and a strip of fabric tucked into make-shift belt on the left side. Both legs of his hakama were split, waving in the gentle breeze, only modest due to the same belt holding on his haori shreds, and his entire right side was cut and torn in a nasty scrape from his shoulder to his knee.

"Need a hand?" He asked with a soft smile.

Jushiro actually grinned, splitting his lip due to the dry air, and grasped the Prince's hand gratefully. As the pair limped off the battlefield, Apacci jumped up into the air, swearing and yelling. Starrk smiled, curling his mate and other half tightly into his still weakened body. Toshiro nodded, pride in his eyes and a smile tugging at his mouth. Rangiku and Rukia joined Apacci, jumping in an excited circle, whooping and cheering. Nnoitra sucked his teeth, determined not to display his internal joy that neither had died, but Hiyori elbowed him in the ribs for it. He glared at her, she glared at him, and the next moment the two were sucking face like it was going out of style. Nanao helped her captain stand, and the long-time lovers crashed together as soon as the barrier dropped.

Ichigo smiled at the displays of joy, and turned to the only person he truly had eyes for. The blunette refused to look at him, his ears still down, tail lashing. Putting a tentative hand on the black and white furred arm, the orangette looked up at his lover. "Grimm?"

Strong arms wrapped the Prince in a crushing embrace. Tail lashing harder than ever, the panther buried his face in the orange spikes. "Don't you ever—ever!—scare me like that again!" He growled.

"I won't. I promise." Ichigo dismissed both his mask fragment and his Bankai. He shimmered as his tattered clothing repaired itself and became his standard shihakusho. Zangetsu rested against the ground and the orangette wrapped his free arm around his Consort's waist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onmyo Sogyo no Kotowari – Cosmic Balance Truth of Pisces
> 
> Jushiro's Bankai inspiration: images.wikia.com/bleach-rpg/cs/images/a/ac/3247435767_9236d0d1b4.jpg


	13. Kokoro no Osore

" _…_ _Trial number three is by far the hardest you will ever face, and I am forbidden from assisting you. Good luck, my boy, and have heart…"_

Just what did the Old King mean by that? The book was supposed to help, but if he wasn't allowed to have help on the third Trial then why give him an entire book? Try as he might Ichigo simply could not puzzle anything out. It had been a week since defeating Jushiro and the other champions in battle. His bruises were fading, the cracks in his ribs were healed thanks to Shirosaki, and his shihakusho had been cleaned. Now, he was relaxing in an early morning bath, after having been up the entire previous night brooding over the last Trial, which was today.

The time off in between, he'd been told, was something of a surprise, as he'd beaten the second Trial in a record breaking ten days. When they'd returned to the palace in the Spirit Realm, the Prince had been certain that the extra seven days could have been spent recovering with his Consort, but the panther had been escorted away immediately by Ginrei's second-in-command and a veritable crew of black and white servants. Raising a fuss about it had only resulted in Ichigo being locked in his rooms for twenty-four hours.

It had been Hell on his sleeping, being sequestered away for the week. He hadn't even been allowed to visit his pets in any of the other worlds. He hadn't been sleeping well. Dreams plagued him, and haunted his waking hours. Even Shirosaki had begun asking about him in the Hollow's own sarcastic and nerve-grating way.

He sighed, splashing away his reflection in the warm water. He'd made it through this far. He could make it through another day, no matter what the Trial had in store. His whole universe depended on him making it.

"Kurosaki-Denka?" The soft voice of a servant called from the doorway to the bathroom.

"Hai. Hai. I'm coming." He grumbled.

Stepping out of the water, he wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way into the main room of his suite. There two servants helped him dry off with large fluffy towels of contrasting color. Then he was brought a pair of boxers and ordinary jeans. He frowned in curiosity and Ginrei's ever present voice explained.

"Today is the third Trial. It takes place in the Living World, and you must dress accordingly."

His heart leapt, maybe he'd get to see his family for the first time in a month. He pulled a pair of sneakers on over socks and a graphic tee over his head. Belting his jeans with a buckle he never thought he'd see again and sliding a watch wristband on to his wrist, he grinned looking for all the world like the twenty-seven-year-old that he would have been if he'd remained Human.

"So? Let's go." He hopped a little impatiently.

"There are a few things you should know, Denka. This is a Trial, not a visit to the Living World as you are used to." Ginrei held up a hand in caution and entered the room fully to stand in front of the orangette. "You cannot interact with anyone you know, only with Humans that do not recognize you. Shopkeepers and the like, but under no circumstances are you to seek out your pets or family. To do so would be to involve them in the Trial more than they already are." Ichigo scowled, his good mood ruined, but the captain of his Royal Guard continued, "You will have until sundown to complete the Trial. I cannot help you with the details any more than your predecessors could. All that I know is that this—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. 'This is the hardest of the Trials'." Ichigo rolled his eyes.

In a moment of uncharacteristic emotion, Ginrei grabbed the Prince's chin. "Listen. I watched the previous two contenders to the throne fail because they took this test too lightly. Both fell into madness. The first has been locked in the bowels of Hell. The second you brought down for trying to destroy your hometown."

The orangette's eyes went wide. "Aizen was…?"

"A cousin of indeterminate distance, but he was more ready than you were when he attempted the Trials. Fortunately the King, Kami keep his soul, had not Faded completely at the time that he failed. You have no choice. If you fail, Ichigo, the balance of the Four Worlds will fail with you. His Majesty pushed Himself to His absolute limit with you. Do not make His sacrifice in vain!" The Kuchiki elder's eyes flashed, and Ichigo found himself nodding with no small amount of fear. Apparently, he saw something that he approved of, because the captain of the Royal Guard let the Prince go at that point. "Good. Now let us get this day started. The sooner it is begun, the sooner it will be over."

The Royal Senkaimon opened on a children's park, depositing Ichigo on the sidewalk as though he had just left the building where the sports equipment was kept. He surveyed the area, not really recognizing it, but a pang of nostalgia pierced his heart at the sight of a group of pre-teens kicking a ball around the field.

A shout rang up when a scowling young man with sharp, dark spikes misaligned his shot and the ball sailed up over the fence towards the street. Ichigo caught it on the rebound, after the sphere smacked the side of an expensive deep blue car parked next to the field.

"Oi, Mister! That's our ball!" The scowling boy.

A shorter girl with blonde hair in a pixie cut smacked the boy across the back of his head. "Say thank you, Baka!"

"Hey! Kia that's not nice!" He whined.

"Neither is not saying thank you." She called over her shoulder, walking up to Ichigo. "Thanks for catching it, Mister."

"It's alright. I'm glad I could help." He smiled, handing her back the ball. "Be nicer to your friend. He may be rough around the edges, but I'm sure there's no one quite like him in the world."

The girl laughed and ran back to their group of friends, throwing the ball for one of the others to catch. The Prince watched them for a few more minutes, enjoying the morning sunshine, with a reminiscent smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. Then he walked down the street, his hands in his pockets. All around him people were to-ing and fro-ing, some had briefcases, some had book bags. Couples caught up in their own world stole kisses that weren't quite hidden from the general public. In the street taxis picked up fares and dropped people off. All in all, the world quite literally moved without anyone helping it.

A scream broke through the peaceful din of the city and a man in a dark hooded sweatshirt clutching a handbag dashed past Ichigo. The orangette's hand shot out and snagged the man's hood. The thief fell on his rear and the bag flew up into the air. He scowled down at the thief, who couldn't have been more than fifteen.

"You shouldn't take other people's belongings, kid." The Prince scolded.

The teen shook his head and dashed off without his prize, ducking down an alley to get away from the scary orange-haired man who had reflexes like none the boy had ever seen. Said orangette picked up the handbag, and turned to a huffing and puffing woman who'd just broken through the crowd.

"I believe this is yours?" He offered her the bag.

"Thank you, young man. You saved my life." She dug into the purse and pulled out a handheld inhaler. A few puffs on it and she was breathing more easily.

"Don't mention it." He smiled, moving off with the crowd again.

Behind him, the woman smiled with a dark glint in her eye. She pulled a wireless transmitter from her purse and slipped it onto the traffic light pole just under the pedestrian button. Turning to her cell phone she activated an application and a tiny light blinked on the transmitter. She watched the traffic signals for a moment, then hit the screen of her phone and the previously red light turned green. Her smile turned into a full on leer, and she hit the screen again before placing the phone back into her pocket.

The Prince walked on, just observing the world around him. A part of his mind was on the lookout for whatever the Trial would be, but mostly he was enjoying behaving like a normal Human for a change. No one looking up to him for anything. No Hollows to deal with. No pesky Shinigami demanding his help. It was nice. The sun steadily made its journey across the sky.

He bought a treat from a street vendor, using change he found had appeared in his pocket, found a bench and sat to enjoy his first Human food in a long time. A small whimper brought his attention to a stray dog at his feet.

"Hungry boy?" He asked, reaching down to scratch the canine's ears. It responded with another whimper and licked its lips. He chuckled. "Okay. Here." He tore a piece of his snack off and tossed it down the street. "Go get it."

The dog tore off after it, paws scrabbling on the pavement. Ichigo had already turned away when the canine crashed into the vendor's cart, knocking the break loose. The salesman flailed his arms, chasing after his rapidly escaping livelihood.

"Estupido! Mutt!" The vendor cursed, snagging the handle of his cart before it could roll into the street, but some of the oil from his fryer splashed out onto the currently deserted road.

Ichigo's path brought him back around to the park where the kids were still playing with the ball by the time afternoon was beginning to fade into evening. He scowled at the sky. He hadn't seen anything that could have constituted a Trial the likes of which would both scare Ginrei and worry Sado. He sighed, taking a seat on the fence to watch the kids some more.

Little did he know that Fate had, at that moment, tipped the scales, setting off something like a demonic Rube-Goldberg device. Across the town, Karin Kurosaki beeped the horn of her hand-me-down silver Toyota Scion.

"C'mon, Yuz! We're gonna be late for Goat Face's conference." For once she was dressed up, in nice slacks and a button down shirt with a touch of make-up and her hair braided in a professional tail. Her twin bounded out of the dorm building, wearing an LBD—little black dress—strappy heels, and a bolero jacket around her shoulders. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun, held together with decorative chopsticks.

"I'm here, Karin-chan." She jumped into the passenger side of the car, and barely had her seatbelt on when they sped out of the college parking lot. "Slow down, Karin-chan! We're gonna crash!"

At that same moment, somewhere north of Karakura a petroleum plant just finished filling a tanker truck with the black gold. It pulled out of the plant, heading in town to catch the highway heading to Osaka. The driver waved his goodbye to the security guard, and flipped on the radio. On the seat next to him a paper bag with greasy food beckoned the hungry man to indulge in a little reckless behavior. Just as he reached the city limits his willpower broke and he reached a hand off of the steering wheel to grab the box of deep-fried potatoes.

Storm clouds on the horizon rumbled, drawing Ichigo's attention from the kids. They wrapped up their game as the sky darkened faster with incoming rain, and took off running down the sidewalk trying to outrun it. The Prince's scowl deepened, how was he supposed to watch his time now that the sun was being blotted out by a storm?

"Aw, fuck." Came an all too familiar voice from across the street.

The first fat drops of rain began to fall as Grimmjow rushed across to his dark blue Jaguar XK—the very same car from earlier with the soccer ball. Ichigo was confused, but he had no time to call out to his Consort. The beautiful car shot away from the curb toward the traffic light where the orangette had caught the thief. He flash stepped to keep up with the luxury vehicle.

From the opposite direction, Karin and Yuzu sped down the street. The rain fell harder, slicking the road. In front of the silver Scion a puddle of barely dried frying oil mixed with the water on the street in an invisible smear. The dark-haired driver was arguing with her twin in the passenger seat, ignorant of the road and the oncoming danger.

The tanker truck driver cursed as his burger box slid off the passenger seat. He checked the road ahead of him, nice and clear, and reached for the fattening sandwich. He had to duck below the curve of the dashboard to reach it, and coming back up he swore again, throwing the food up in the air.

On the corner where Ichigo had left her, the woman with the transmitter and the cell phone activated her device, turning all four lights red at the same time. The rain was coming down in sheets as the truck driver, Yuzu and Grimmjow in their respective vehicles colored the air.

Ichigo appeared above the intersection, rain plastering his bangs to his face, as disaster struck. Karin slammed on the breaks just as her front tires hit the oil and water slick on the road. The little silver car spun out, sliding into the intersection at top speed on the water. Across from them, Grimmjow mimicked the brunette Kurosaki twin, only to discover he had absolutely no pressure under his foot. His cerulean eyes went wide as he cut his wheel drastically to the side, deliberately hydroplaning into the side of the silver obstacle in the middle of the intersection. Both vehicles stopped and the drivers jumped out of their cars shouting. Neither saw the tanker barreling down on them.

Ichigo screamed as he recognized the two in the silver car, and time stopped. Even the raindrops froze in the air. A lightning bolt stretched halfway between two clouds. Grimmjow's arms were wide, his face twisted into an angry glare with his mouth hanging open mid-sentence. Karin scowled in fair imitation of her brother, breath drawn in to give back as good as she was getting. The truck driver was hanging out of his window, trying to catch their attention two blocks away but entirely too close to stop the fully loaded mechanical bomb-on-wheels. The woman clasped her hands in psychotic glee on the corner in mid-jump. And Yuzu had her hand half outstretched, horror on her pretty features, as she had just noticed the truck. The orangette searched the scene in utter confusion.

Suddenly a gentle light flashed to the side, and standing in all his Quincy glory was Ishida Uryuu. "This is your Trial, Kurosaki-Denka." He adjusted his glasses, and to either side of him Orihime, Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro emerged. The gentle redhead faced left, and the violent brunette faced right. Uryuu caught Ichigo's confusion. "We are Aspects of Fate. For this Trial, you must choose whose life you save. If you do nothing all four will perish."

Apparently reading his mind, Orihime smiled softly. "You can only save one, Kurosaki-Denka."

Ichigo turned to the four people on the ground. His heart clenched. What kind of choice was this?! His beloved, his sisters, or some stranger that—he froze and glared. Sighing deeply, he descended to street level, mind made up. The psychotic woman on the curb wasn't even in the running. Even if he saved her to be punished later the other four would die. Better to leave her to Sado. He drew his hand over Yuzu's hair, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Then drawing his other hand down Karin's face, he nodded. Saving either would be worse than saving neither. It would break his father's heart, burying his wife and all three children, but then maybe the Goat Face would come back to the Soul Society. Kami knew they needed him. This brought him to his wild blue-haired lover. Just a few months, after ten years apart. This choice pained him most of all. So many years wasted, but he couldn't be selfish. He ignored the others, drawing the feline into a kiss, even though he had to move the other's mouth for him. It was weird now, after having been with him for so long in his evolved form, to see the blunette as a Human. Drawing back he looked up at the Aspects in the sky.

The four flanking Uryuu held strings, stretched taut between the archer and themselves as they had moved to stand above the four corners of the intersection. The Quincy pulled a set of sewing shears from within his cloak with his right hand. His left was open palm up, a spool of multicolored thread balanced in the middle, and it was from this that the four filaments stretched. Around the edge of the spool frayed and cut strands stuck out in all directions.

"There is no escape, Kurosaki-Denka. What is your choice?" He intoned.


	14. Coronation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it. The final chapter. It's been fun. I still can't believe this evolved out of that one shot. XD I hope you all have enjoyed the ride, and stay tuned. I have a few ideas about this universe I may churn out at some point as one-shots. Ja ne, minna!

 

Five days later, the sun shined, birds sang, flowers bloomed, and the energy of four worlds hummed with the promise of good things to come. Today was special. Today was the beginning of a new era. Because today, the new Spirit King would be crowned and the Four Worlds would rejoice in His Name. Decorations in every color adorned the pillars of the throne room. The shoji screens had been repainted in fresh vibrant tones. The windows were left wide open to bring sunshine and birdsong into the room that hadn't been used in two months. The carpet was plush. The cushions were in neat rows. And the whole place radiated good fortune and glad tidings.

In a few hours the hall would be packed with representatives of the Four Worlds, his Pride, his family, and none of them could have been more proud of him. So, as he walked the path leading to his throne for the last time before the ceremony began, he tried to clear the heaviness in his heart. Melancholy gold eyes gazed up at the chair that would be the symbol of his power, and a deep sigh escaped his lips. He tucked his hands into the wide sleeves of his yukata, and was about to kneel before his own throne when a quiet voice broke the peace.

"It is time, Heika." Ginrei looked apologetic, standing to the side of the dais.

"Hai." Ichigo took another deep breath, and moved off to exit the throne room.

While the presentation hall was being filled, the Incumbent King stood stock still in his dressing room. He'd been bathed, oiled, and his cheek shaven baby soft. Stripped of his normal clothing, the servants tied a fundoshi around his privates. The second layer was a thin set of hakama and okatabira. Over that he was dressed in an emerald ohguchi and matching hitoe with a yokoshigebishi pattern. This was followed by the akome in a complimenting shade of green-blue, patterned in the traditional koaoi. It took six servants to fit the pale ue-no-hakama and shitagasane over the already heavy layers of fabric adorning his body. A hanpi in black with miedasuki pattern came next. Finally, he was weighed down by the stiff silk hoeki no ho, an overcoat in deep, vibrant blue and patterned delicately with a large feline. Through it all he only allowed himself a slow blink and a measured breath.

When the sekita belt, shitohzu socks and kanmuri headgear were added, he blinked a second time. Were it not for the weeks of training with Ginrei and the years of wielding a sword, he wouldn't have been able to withstand all of the rigmarole that went to his formal presentation. With the firm image of exactly why he was doing this in mind, he stepped into the ceremonial asagutsu sandals. A hirao, hand-painted with the Kurosaki family crest and embroidered with the thirteen flowers of the Gotei divisions, was threaded around his already burdened waist, to the roll of his eyes. Another five to ten minutes of fussing with straps, folds, and the train on his shitagasane and he was ready to make the slow precise walk from his chambers to the throne room. He carried with him the traditional tato, shaku and hiogi—symbols of Imperial position.

Though this morning seemed to drag on forever, the preceding days had been a mind-numbing blur of organizing the gathering. It was at his insistence that the clothing he wore was decorated the way it was; blues and greens instead of traditional reds and oranges, felines instead of dragons or the phoenix, and black in places where white was the norm. It had been like pulling teeth, but he'd gotten his way after consenting to wear the full sokutai. In the hours when he wasn't beating his head against the brick wall that was the Imperial dressmaker, he and Ginrei had been working non-stop on sealing Zangetsu down into a more traditional kazari tachi so that the Old Man could hang from his belt line today.

The procession of attendants and screen-bearers brought them to the doors of the throne room. The large crimson doors were pulled open and Ichigo took yet another deep breath. This was it. No turning back now. The screen-bearers broke away in two lines, each white silken flag allowing a tiny bit more of His Imperial Highness to be revealed to the gathered masses. By the time the procession reached the bottom of the steps leading up to the throne itself, only one set of screens remained. The attendants holding his train climbed the dais with him, and the crowd held their breath.

At the top, in front of the throne itself, he turned to look out over the room. The entire Gotei 13 from the Sotaicho down to many unseated officers who'd met him at one point or other over the ten years since the Winter War were kneeling in the front rows to the right. To the left the first row had his father, also in traditional Royal sokutai, and his sisters, both in formal kazami. Though all three were not quite as decorated as the Imperial Prince Himself, he took some amusement in Karin's discomfort, and pride in both his father and Yuzu, who looked like she'd stepped straight out of a history book. Behind them were his friends from the Living World, or wherever the Fates resided—well, and Hell, considering Sado. The Lord of Hell brought a smattering of what could only be called demons to finish out their row. Then came the rest of his Pride, the Visoreds and Espada. Beyond those, he could only guess were members of the noble houses. He thought he might have seen Geta-Boshi somewhere in the crowd but at that moment Ginrei stepped up to address the assembly.

"As captain of the Royal Guard, I have the greatest honor and humblest privilege to present His Imperial Majesty, Lord of the Four Worlds, King of Souls, Emperor Kurosaki Ichigo the Fifteenth!"

The orangette gave the tiniest of head nods and every forehead in the room touched the floor in the deepest kowtow he had ever witnessed. After a speech, which the King was sure bored everyone else as much as it bored him, the formality was released to an extent. Most of the unnamed masses trickled out of the throne room. Many lined up to give their respects though, and the names and faces blurred together such that Ichigo could barely remember his own identity at the end of it all. His closest friends were invited to an 'after-party' of sorts and were escorted to an antechamber to wait for him to finish dealing with the nobility and other boot lickers that wished to appeal to His Majesty's good graces while he was still 'ignorant enough to be fooled'. All in all, it severely irritated him, but two months of lessons in Royalty had even Byakuya pleasantly surprised.

When the ceremony was FINALLY over—it had taken another three hours to change back out of the sokutai—the orangette joined his closest friends and family at the 'after-party'. The second he entered cheers roared through the room. He smiled broadly, and ducked instinctively.

"AH MY ROYAL SON STILL HAS HIS REFLEXES!" Goat Face shouted from his position upside down against the wall.

Ichigo's quiet amusement at his father's antics was something of a shock though. Karin stared at him, but couldn't get close as Renji and Ikkaku clapped him on the back, pulling him over to a table where Rangiku, Keigo, Ganju, and Tatsuki had sake set up. They were joined by several others that the King recognized as 'drinking buddies' of one or more of the people around the table with him.

"Get back here you little imp!" Jinta tore through the room after Yachiru and what looked like a real imp.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, sipping his sake, and Sado smiled from across the room. So, it was a real imp. Heh.

Someone set up music from the Living World, and several of the girls were dancing in the middle of the floor. Rukia and Orihime especially, and Yumichika, surprisingly. Rangiku tried to join in, but she'd already had too much sake to keep the rhythm and leaned back into Toshiro's lap with a giggle.

"Gin! Get your woman off of my lap!" The snowy captain growled from his place at a table with Byakuya, Ulquiorra and Uryuu.

The Shinigami-turned-Visored grinned, "Come, Ran-chan, Kira-chan said he's got special sake over here." He pulled her with his good arm, and she flopped onto his shoulder easily. "Heh." He shrugged at Ichigo, who lifted his glass in a salute. Then they moved off to a secluded corner.

Hiyori got up to dance, and was pulled back onto Nnoitra's lap. "Where ya think yer goin', woman?"

She actually giggled, and using his own momentum, pulled him out onto the dance floor. "I'm dancin', Baldy! Dance with me!" She laughed.

"Ya've been in the sake already, haven't ya?" He grinned down into her face.

Ichigo shook his head, still smiling the same amused look, and turned to look at Hisagi, who was talking about something regarding tattoos and how the orangette should get one. Across the room, unbeknownst to the King, his dark-haired sister nursed a cup of soda watching him.

The night carried on, Kenpachi challenging anyone who'd let him to any sort of contest he could come up with; Isshin pulled Yuzu to dance; Muiziro entertained Kuukaku, Ururu, and Yoruichi, much to Soi Fon's displeasure; Shinji, Kisuke, Shunsui and Jushiro talked quietly in a corner away from both the 'Silent Stoics' and the 'Drunkards' tables; Tatsuki actually convinced Hanataro to crawl away from the wall and socialize a little with both Yuzu and Karin, though the brunette twin was still distracted. At one point, Byakuya actually approached Ichigo.

"You did surprisingly well, Kurosaki-Heika." He intoned with no small amount of pride. The orangette didn't say anything, only smiled that same smile from before. The ebony haired noble blinked, his eyebrows twitching for a moment, but he didn't comment on it. He inclined his head in a show of respect, and moved off.

At that moment, Ichigo found himself mostly alone. Everyone else was either paired off or in small groups enjoying themselves. It allowed him to let his mask slip ever so slightly. His eyes darkened and he hid the falter of his smile in the liquid sanctuary of his sake cup. Though he was still on his first one, taking the smallest sips he could possibly manage. As lost in his own thoughts as he was, he missed his sister plopping down next to him.

"Ichi-nii, are you ok?" Karin asked, scowling at him.

He looked at her, shocked. He coughed a few times, his sake going down too fast. Trying to smile, he found he couldn't meet her eyes. So, he focused on rolling his cup between his hands. The lights of the room glittered off the rings that adorned his fingers.

"You made the right choice. Yuzu and I start at the Shino Academy next week. I'm already hearing my Zanpakutou, for Kami's sake! Heh, well, for Your sake really." She rubbed the back of her head. Catching sight of her twin, dancing with their father, she continued. "Goat Face is teaching there you know."

He put a mock terrified expression on his face, and laughed silently along with Karin's chuckles.

"You should listen to your sister, Kurosaki-Heika." Uryuu appeared next to the King opposite his sister. Looking up at him curiously, Ichigo's eyebrow rose. The archer adjusted his glasses, "I shouldn't tell you this, but that man in the petroleum truck will be father to the line that brings about the solution to world hunger someday. Without him, the Human race would be centuries behind on the Tapestry."

The Monarch sighed, rolling his cup again. The party no longer held his interest. All semblance of happiness was gone from his frame. For ten years he'd been able to keep this part of himself hidden from his Pride, but now, with everything weighing on top of him, he just couldn't. The others had been more right than he realized when they warned him about how hard the Third Trial would be. Well, no, the Trial itself had been easy. The hard part was living with the decision he'd 'd always lived his life without thinking about 'what if', after his mother had been murdered it had kept him sane, but now, he couldn't stop himself. So what if the Living World fell behind in the Tapestry of Time? What did a few generations matter when it came to eternity? He sighed deeply, lost in his thoughts. What was eternity if it was spent like this? Alone?

His pets sensed their Leader needed them. He suddenly found himself surrounded by the members of his Pride: Rukia, Orihime, Shinji, Byakuya, Renji, Uryuu, Sado, Toshiro, Rangiku, Yumichika, Hisagi, Ikkaku, Kira, Tatsuki, Kisuke, Hanataro, and Kenpachi. Blinking around at the show of support, he smiled again. For ten years, these people, including the ones he hadn't been personally intimate with, were the network of people that kept his sanity for him. No, he wasn't alone, and even though things had changed greatly, these people were still here. It warmed his heart and touched the place that had been aching since making his choice at the Trial. Gathering those he could reach with his arms, he let out the first sound he'd made in five days.

It wasn't truly audible by anyone gathered there, but a combination of the tingle of bells and a bird's song came pretty close to what they heard when he said, "Thank you."

Nothing that could possibly come his way could undermine the love and support of his Pride. His pets, even though they were scattered to the Four Worlds, were still his pets, and he had forgotten the joy he felt when surrounded by them in all the chaos of earning his inheritance.

"Is this a party? Or are we all gonna sit around moping the whole time!?" Rukia exclaimed.

Hisagi kicked the stereo back on, and the party returned to the joyful celebration it was supposed to be. Ichigo spared a genuine smile for Karin, before kicking her out to the dance floor to join their father and sister. She hesitated but grabbed his hand, pulling him with her.

The festivities lasted long into the night. It was almost dawn before the last of his guests found a corner to curl up for sleep, and Ichigo waited until they had before seeking his own chambers. He leaned against the door and sighed. He began the arduous task of disrobing. Even though he wasn't in full formal attire, he still had rings on every finger, necklaces and ear cuffs, bangles and Zangetsu, sealed in kazaki tachi form. Then came the near-hundred buttons on his silk, embroidered, Chinese-style jacket. Underneath he wore a modern wife-beater style undershirt, and his silk pants covered modern boxers. Stripped to that level the orangette finally entered his bedroom proper.

Surveying the luxurious room gave the other occupant the opportunity to get the drop on the new King. Strong arms trapped the slim orangette, and pulled him close. A heavy breath was inhaled and released on the junction of his neck and shoulder. He could feel the person behind him was quite enjoying his entrapment. Then a purr rumbled out from that broad chest.

"So, why'd you do it, Kitten?" The feral voice attached to the figure behind him.

He closed his eyes and leaned back, content with putting his entire being at that person's mercy. "Because, Grimm, every Human has the potential to change the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone didn't quite get what happened, Ichigo chose to save the human stranger in the truck. The question remains, did Grimm actually die? Karin and Yuzu did, they're in Soul Society about to start at the Shinigami academy, but did Grimmy? You tell me. Thanks for sticking with me through this! Ja ne, minna!
> 
> Clothing references:  
> www.sengokudaimyo.com/garb/garb.ch01.html  
> www.iz2.or.jp/english/fukusyoku/youfuu/5.htm  
> www.iz2.or.jp/english/fukusyoku/youfuu/6new.htm  
> www.iz2.or.jp/english/fukusyoku/wayou/1.htm


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